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Entered  accordingAo  >^^^of  Congress,  in  the  year  1904,  by 

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DR.  S.  A.  RICHMOND, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

In  presenting  this  book  on  divine  healing  to  the  pubHc,  the 
author  has  no  apologies  to  make ;  believing  that  it  will  meet  with 
the  hearty  approval  and  support  of  everyone  who  peruses  its  con- 
tents. It  is  the  first  and  only  book  of  its  kind  ever  published,  and 
is  indeed  a  book  of  revelations  from  start  to  finish.  It  is  the  key 
to  the  scriptures  and  unlocks  the  portals  containing  the  secrets  of 
divine  healing,  and  reveals  them  unto  man.  When  Christ  bestowed 
power  upon  His  disciples  to  preach  the  gospel,  He  also  bestowed 
upon  them  the  power  to  heal  the  sick.  And  He  said  unto  theiii, 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature, 
and  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe :  In  My  name  shall 
they  cast  out  devils,  and  they  shall'lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  they 
shall  recover." 

We  have  our  Savior's  example.  We  are  told  that  He  ''is  the 
way,  the  truth  and  the  life ;  He  went  over  Palestine  and  Judea, 
preaching  the  gospel  and  healing  the  sick.  What  He  did  He  said  we 
should  do,and  we  are  doing.  His  command  to  His  disciples  was  to  go 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  this  gospel  that  He  had  been  teaching 
them,  and  these  signs  should  follow  those  who  believed.  Mind 
you,  the  signs  were  not  to  follow  the  preacher,  but  the  command 
was  to  go  and  teach  the  gospel  and  preach  it,  and  ''these  signs  shall 
follow  those  who  believe"  your  preaching.  What  were  these  signs  ? 
Among  other  things,  they  should  drink  deadly  poison  and  it  should 
not  hurt  them ;  they  should  handle  reptiles  and  nothing  could 
harm  them  ;  they  should  lay  their  hands  on  the  sick  and  they  should 
recover.  In  the  Bible  this  is  the  only  definition  given  of  a  believer, 
how  a  believer  should  be  known.  He  who  believes,  has  and  must 
have  that  power.  The  signs  must  follow.  They  had  the  power 
then,  and  according  to  the  immutable  and  unchangeable  laws  of 
God  Almighty  there  never  was  a  change ;  those  who  believed  then 
had  the  signs  following,  and  those  who  believe  today  have  the 
signs  and  can  heal  the  sick. 

The  evangelists  tell  us  that  Jesus  touched  the  leper  with  His 
own  finger ;  that  He  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ;  and  that  in 
cases  where  He  was  asked  to  speak  the  word  only  at  a  distance, 
He  did  not  usually  comply,  but  went  Himself  to  the  sick  bed  and 
there  personally  wrought  the  cure.  A  lesson  to  us.  If  we  would 
do  good,  do  it  ourselves.  Give  alms  with  our  own  hand.  A  kind 
look  or  word  will  enhance  the  value  of  the  gift.    Our  Lord's  mode 


6  DIVINE      HEALING. 

of  doing  good  sets  forth  His  incessant  activity.  He  did  not  only 
the  good  which  came  close  to  hand,  but  He  went  about  on  His 
errand  of  mercy  and  of  practicing  divine  healing,  and  throughout 
the  whole  land  of  Judea  there  was  scarcely  a  village  or  a  hamlet 
which  was  not  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  Him.  By  the  Master's 
final  words  to  His  disciples  the  obligation  is  laid  upon  every 
Christian  to  heal  the  sick  and  to  be  a  soul- winner.  To  be  a  soul- 
winner  is  the  happiest  thing  in  the  world.  With  every  soul  you 
bring  to  Christ  you  get  a  new  heaven  upon  earth.  But  who  can 
conceive  the  bliss  which  awaits  us  above?  Oh,  how  sweet  is  that 
sentence,  ''Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord !"  Do  you  know 
what  the  joy  of  Christ  is  over  a  saved  sinner?  This  is  the  very  joy 
which  we  are  to  possess  in  heaven.  Yes,  when  He  mounts  the 
throne,  you  shall  mount  with  Him.  When  the  heavens  ring  with 
"well  done,  well  done,"  you  shall  partake  in  the  reward.  You  have 
toiled  with  Him.  You  have  suffered  with  Him.  You  shall  now 
reign  with  Him.  You  have  sown  with  Him.  You  shall  reap  with 
Him.  Your  face  was  covered  with  sweat  like  His  and  your  soul 
was  grieved  for  the  sins  of  men  as  His  soul  was.  Now  shall  your 
face  be  bright  with  heaven's  splendor,  as  is  His  countenance.  And 
now  shall  your  soul  be  filled  with  beautiful  joy,  even  as  His  soul  is. 
History  teaches  us  that  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  practiced  this 
service  of  divine  healing  for  two  or  three  centuries  after  Christ's 
ascension.  Either  from  unbelief  or  some  other  cause  unknown  to 
us,  the  practice  was  abandoned  and  became  obsolete  and  has  prac- 
tically so  remained  until  the  dawning  of  a  new  century.  It  is  now 
again  being  revealed  to  man.  These  revelations  the  author  has  re- 
vealed to  the  world  in  his  wonderful  book  of  revelations  on  divine 
healing,  and  he  sends  this  consecrated  book  out  into  the  world 
with  the  humble  prayer  that  it  may  prove  a  blessing  to  all  who 
may  read  its  contents.  The  main  object  of  the  author  is  to  heal 
the  sick,  and  reclaim  the  infidel  and  sinner  and  point  them  the 
way  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world. 
May  it  be  the  means  of  encouraging  great  multitudes  of  sin-sick 
souls  to  press  through  the  throng  of  difficulties,  doubts,  and  fears 
and  touch  the  hem  of  the  Savior's  garment  and  be  made  perfectly 
whole.  This  is  the  prayer  of  your  humble  servant. 
I  remain,  yours  truly, 

S.  A.  RICHMOND, 

The  People's  Humble  Servant  in  Christ  Jesus, 

Hot  Springs,  Ark. 


CREDIT  TO  WHOM  CREDIT  IS  DUE. 

With  a  grateful  heart  I  return  thanks  to  the  following  authors 
whose  names  I  will  append,  from  whose  books  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  gather  much  of  the  information  and  material  for  my  book 
concerning  our  Savior  and  His  wonderful  works  and  miracles  per- 
formed while  here  on  earth.  Among  whom  is  first  the  immortal 
John  Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism,  who  was  a  ripe  scholar 
in  Jesus'  college,  as  his  life  and  works  will  verify.  Another  was 
the  late  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  one  of  the  most  famous  preachers  of 
modern  times.  He  was  also  a  ripe  scholar  in  Jesus'  college.  I  got 
permission  from  the  American  Tract  Society  of  New  York  city  to 
gather  and  cull  information  from  their  publications  of  Spurgeon's 
works.  I  also  received  permission  from  Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany of  New  York  city  to  gather  and  cull  information  from  their 
publications  of  C.  H.  Spurgeon's  works.  The  following  are  other 
authors  from  whom  I  received  permission  to  gather  and  cull  in- 
formation from  their  books : 

J.  W.  Byers,  O.  C.  Sabim,  J.  B.  Wilson,  Gustave  Dore. 


A   WORD   OF   EXPLANATION. 


locate  in  SnF  '"     ^''""'  '"'  '"^"^  '°"''"'^'  *° 

w  ere      w,ll  be  pleased  to  ,„eet  those  desiring  to  learn  of 
"ly  methods  and  teachings. 

THE   AUTHOR. 


DEDICATION. 

This  book  is  reverently  dedicated 

unto  Him  that  loved  us 

and  washed  us -from  our  sins 

in  His  own  blood, 

and     healed     our    diseases,     and     hath 

made   us   kings  and  priests  unto 

God   and   Our   Father. 

To  Him  be  glory  and  dominion 

forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


Oh,  how  sweet  to  view  the  flowing  of  His  soul-redeeming  blood, 

with    divine     assurance,     knowing    that    He 

made  my  peace  with  God. 


CONXKNTS. 


PART  I. 

Page 

Our  Redemption  Right 17 

Divine  Healing 28,  157 

How  Long  Does  It  Take  to  Effect  a  Cure? 27 

Strong  in  Faith 28 

Shall  I  Discharge  My  Doctor? 35 

Esculapius  and  the  Pill  Bag : 39 

The  Magic  of  Touch 55 

God's  Table 71 

Health  Without  Drugs 96 

Attending  Jesus'  College '. 107 

Absent  Treatment 112 

The  Sacred  Fountain 135 

Divine  Healing  in  Prophecy 146 

God  Answers  Prayers 159 

Whether  is  Easier 164 

Humble  Thyself. 186 

Conversion  and  Healing 197 

The  Divine  Law  of  Redemption 201 

How  to  Come  to  Him  for  Healing 208 

Have  Faith  in  God 217 

His  Resurrection,  Will  and  Promise 228 

An  Invalid  for  Over  Thirty  Years 232 

The  Power  of  Healing  in  God's  People 247 

The  Gifts  of  Healing 248 

Questions  Answered 254 

Does  Sickness  Come  from  God? 259 

Summarized  Questions  and  Answers  on  Divine  Healing 263 


PART  II. 

The  Nativity  of  Our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ 279 

The  Preaching  and  Baptism  of  Saint  John 293 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus 297 

Jesus  Was  Tempted  in  the  Wilderness 301 

Jesus  Preaching  His  First  Sermon 302 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount 307 

The  Ordaining  of  the  Twelve  Apostles 309 


12  DIVINE      HEALING. 

Christ's  Entry  into  Jerusalem 313 

Jesus  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria 317 

A  Woman  Anointeth  the  Feet  of  Jesus 321 

Suffer  Little  Children  to  Come  Unto  Me 025 

Jesus  Stilling  the  Tempest 331 

St.  Peter  Walks  on  the  Sea 335 

I  Am  the  Good  Shepherd 339 

Come  Unto  Me 349 

The  Trees  of  the  Lord  Are  Full  of  Sap.. 355 

I  Am  the  Vine;  Ye  Are  the  Branches 361 

What  Think  Ye  of  Christ? 370 

The  Prodigal  Son 373 

I  Am  the  Bread  of  Life 380 

If  Thou  Believest  With  All  Thine  Heart 382 

The  Tongue  and  Its  Evils 386 

The  Transfiguration 393 

And  Yet  There  Is  Room 401 

The  Raising  of  Lazarus 409 

You  Should  Be  Like  Jesus 412 

Christ  Instituteth  His  Holy  Supper 415 

The  Lord's  Supper— Judas  Dipping  His  Hand  in  the  Dish 418 

My  Soul  Is  Exceeding  Sorrowful  Unto  Death 423 

The  Agony  in  the  Garden 427 

Betrayest  Thou  the  Son  of  Man  With  a  Kiss? 431 

Peter's  Denial 437 

Christ  Is  Scourged 443 

Put  Upon  His  Head  a  Crown  of  Thorns 447 

Behold  the  Man 451 

On  Him  They  Laid  the  Cross,  That  He  Might  Bear  It  After  Jesus 457 

They  Gave  Him  a  Procession  of  Honor 461 

The  First  Nail  Driven 465 

A  Lesson  on  the  Crucifixion 471 

His  Dying  Cry 475 

The  Earthquake 479 

The  Precious  Blood  of  Christ 480 

Easter  Day,  the  Resurrection 483 

Mary  Magdalene  at  the  Tomb 491 

The  Lord's  Command  Before  the  Ascension 499 

The  Day  of  Pentecost 503 

What  Is  the  Badge  of  Your  Service? 507 

The  Churches  of  Today .  512 

Arise  Ye,  and  Depart 517 

Born  Again 519 

Saul  Going  Towards  Damascus 527 

Eternity!    Eternity!     Then  What? 531 

The  Lord  Controls  the  Universe 553 

Let  God  Be  True 554 

And  I  Looked,  and,  Lo,  a  Lamb  Stood  on  the  Mount  Zion 557 


LIST   OR   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Pagk 

Frontispiece,  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond 2 

A  Patient  Consulting  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond 21 

Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  in  the  Act  of  Treating  a  Patient 25 

A  Nut  to  Crack 29 

We  Are  in  the  Same  Boat 33 

Esculapius  and  the  Pill  Bag 37 

Healing  of  Simon's  Wife's  Mother 41 

The  Magic  Touch 53 

"  Thou  Preparest  a  Table  Before  Me  " 69 

The  Tree  of  Life 73 

The  Dumb  Man  Possessed  of  a  Devil  Healed  at  Capernaum 79 

Healing  of  the  Blind '. 85 

In  the  Villages  the  Sick  Were  Brought  Unto  Him 93 

The  Lame  Man  at  the  Beautiful  Gate 99 

Attending  Jesus'  College 105 

The  Good  Samaritan 109 

The  Palsied  Man  Let  Down  Through  the  Roof 113 

The  Demoniac  Boy  at  the  Foot  of  Mt.  Tabor 121 

The  Sacred  Fountain 133 

Jesus  Went  About  All  the  Cities,  Healing  the  Sick 139 

Dr.  Richmond  Writing  His  Book 155 

"Young  Man,  I  Say  Unto  Thee,  Arise" 167 

All  the  City  Was  Gathered  Together 183 

Jesus  Healeth  Great  Muhitudes 187 

The  Nativity  of  Our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ 277 

The  Magi  on  Their  Journey 283 

The  Flight  Into  Egypt 287 

Saint  John  Preaching 291 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus 295 

Jesus  Was  Tempted  in  the  Wilderness 299 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount 305 

Christ's  Entry  Into  Jerusalem 311 

Jesus  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria 315 

A  Woman  Anointeth  the  Feet  of  Jesus 319 

"  Suffer  Little  Children  to  Come  Unto  Me  " 323 

Jesus  Stilling  the  Tempest 329 

Saint  Peter  Walks  on  the  Sea 333 

"  I  Am  the  Good  Shepherd  " 337 

"If  Any  Man  Hear  My  Voice  and  Open  the  Door,  I  Will  Come  in  to  Him"  341 


14  DIVINE      HEALING. 

*'  Come  Unto  Me" 347 

"  The  Trees  of  the  Lord  Are  Full  of  Sap  " 353 

"  I  Am  the  Vine,  and  Ye  Are  the  Branches  " 359 

'*  Launch  Out  Into  the  Deep,  and  Let  Down  Your  Nets  for  a  Draught  "...  363 
"A  Certain  Beggar  Named  Lazarus,  Which  Was  Laid  at  His  Gate,  Full 

of  Sores" 367 

The  Prodigal  Son 371 

"And  Knew  Not  Until  the  Flood  Came  and  Took  Them  All  Away.    So 

Also  Shall  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  Be  " 377 

Mary  at  the  Feet  of  Jesus 383 

The  Transfiguration 391 

"A  Certain  Man  Made  a  Great  Supper" 399 

The  Raising  of  Lazarus 407 

Christ  Instituteth  His  Holy  Supper 413 

"  My  Soul  Is  Exceeding  Sorrowful  Unto  Death  " 421 

The  Agony  in  the  Garden 425 

"  Betrayest  Thou  the  Son  of  Man  With  a  Kiss?" 429 

Peter's  Denial 435 

Christ  Is  Scourged 441 

"  Put  Upon  His  Head  a  Crown  of  Thorns  " 445 

"  Behold  the  Man" 449 

"On  Him  They  Laid  the  Cross,  That  He  Might  Bear  It  After  Jesus  "...  455 

They  Gave  Him  a  Procession  of  Honor 459 

The  First  Nail  Driven 463 

A  Lesson  of  the  Crucifixion 469 

His  Dying  Cry 473 

The  Earthquake 477 

Easter  Day,  the  Resurrection 481 

Mary  at  the  Tomb 489 

Christ  and  the  Two  Disciples  on  the  Road  to  Emmaus 493 

The  Ascension 497 

The  Day  of  Pentecost 501 

Crowned  With  Thorns 505 

Beneath  Thy  Cross  I  Lay  Me  Down 509 

Death  on  the  Pale  Horse 515 

Angels  Swinging  Their  Censers 521 

Saul  Going  Towards  Damascus 525 

Dr.  Richmond's  Vision  of  Eternity 529 

Saint  John's  Revelations 555 


PART  I. 

Treats  of  Health  without  Drugs 

Divine  Healing, 

Mind  and  Faith   Cure, 

all  by  the 

Power  of  God  Almighty. 


OF  THt 
OF 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


OUR   REDEMPTION    RIGHT. 

Many  of  God's  dear  people  suffering  under  the  bondage  of 
disease,  when  they  hear  the  gospel  of  healing,  are  troubled 
with  doubt  as  to  their  right  to  claim  it.  It  was  for  all  in  the 
first  century,  and  doubtless  for  some  now,  but  have  I  a  right  to 
claim  it?  There  is  much  involved  in  this  question.  Thousands 
today  are  held  in  bondage  who  might  be  free,  leaping  and  shout- 
ing and  praising  God  for  deliverance  from  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  disease,  and  the  cause  of  Christ  exalted  above  a  mere  form 
of  godliness,  were  the  question  of  our  redemption  right  settled. 

The  church  of  God  has  been  trailing  in  the  dust  of  humilia- 
tion and  weakness,  while  the  unbelieving  world  stands  off  with 
scoffs  and  jeers,  largely,  because  of  the  unbelief  in  the  right 
of  every  child  of  God  to  be  healed. 

Many  an  earnest  seeker  has  been  perplexed  and  almost  driven 
to  despair,  when  just  within  reach,  yet  kept  hid  from  sight  through 
unbelief,  is  the  blood-bought  inheritance  of  abundant  life  and 
health.  It  is  but  a  trick  of  the  Devil  to  thus  keep  God's  people  in 
bondage.  The  most  sorrowful  fact  of  all  is  that  the  majority  of 
the  sectarian  clergy  is  used  to  propogate  this  infernal  lie  of 
Satan,  and  hinder  many  from  making  their  escape  from  the  yoke 
of  bondage.  At  this  present  critical  epoch  in  the  history  of 
spiritual  advancement  there  is  no  greater  deception  imposed  upon 
us  than  the  denial  of  the  right  to  divine  healing  and  health.  If 
we  have  not  the  right  to  this,  what  blessing  in  the  atonement  can 
we  claim  ?  ''With  his  stripes  we  are  healed"  dare  not  be  substract- 
ed  from  the  fundamental  principles  of  redemption.  God  pity 
an  apostatized  ministry  that  passes  lightly  over  this,  and  more 
deplorable  still,  that  disbelieves  it.  This  unbelief  and  superstition 
belong  to  the  dark  ages,  which  have  boldly  disputed  every  redemp- 
tion truth,  as  God  has  by  the  Holy  Spirit  turned  the  light  of  heaven 
upon  His  Holy  Word. 


18  DiriXE    HEALING. 

At  one  time,  for  a  long  period,  the  Devil  would  have  it  that 
salvation  by  faith  was  an  impossibility,  but  when  his  deceptions 
were  exposed  in  this  respect,  he  was  compelled  to  retreat  by  the 
mighty  thunderbolts  of  truth  thrown  into  his  ranks.  God  gave 
the  experience  of  justification  by  faith  to  those  who  came  to  Him, 
and  they  were  not  afraid  to  tell  it  to  the  world  at  the  cost  of  their 
lives.  The  truth  became  established,  and  now  it  is  largely  ad- 
mitted that  it  is  the  right  of  those  who  repent  and  believe  to 
receive  forgiveness  of  sins.  Yet  in  the  face  of  all  this  there  is 
a  denial  of  this  redemption  right  in  every  individual  case,  until 
the  seeker  begins  to  believe  against  the  deceptions  of  the  enemy, 
and  appropriate  the  blessed  promises  of  God  to  all  who  come  to 
Him  for  pardon.  This  blessed  truth  is  based  upon  the  redemption 
principle,  "He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions."  This  is 
indeed  glorious,  and  eternity  will  not  be  too  long  in  which  to  praise 
God  for  this  wonderful  fact.  But  is  it  any  more  a  fact  than 
that  "with  his  stripes  we  are  healed"? 

When  the  paralytic  was  let  down  through  the  roof  of  the 
house  where  our  blessed  Redeemer  stood,  He,  seeing  their  faith, 
granted  the  poor  sufferer  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  This  of 
course  was  a  surprise  to  the  people,  but  Jesus  had  a  purpose  in 
this,  which  was,  that  they  might  know  that  he  had  the  power  on 
earth  to  forgive  sins.  He  asks  the  question,  "Whether  it  is  easier 
to  say  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee ;  or  to 
say.  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk  ?"  Truly  no  one  could  ques- 
tion his  ability  to  do  both.  The  recorded  facts  establish  this 
beyond  a  doubt,  but  does  not  the  same  blessed  example  prove  to  us 
that  He  is  just  as  willing  as  he  is  able  to  do  both?  It  was  just  as 
much  the  right  of  the  sufiferer  to  have  one  as  the  other.  It  was 
not  a  question  of  worthiness  on  his  part,  neither  is  it  upon  ours, 
but  it  is  all  according  to  God's  mercy. 

It  certainly  must  be  clear  to  the  mind  of  every  reader  who 
believes  the  record  that  God  gave  of  His  Son,  that  all  who  came 
to  Jesus  had  the  right  to  believe  for  healing.  None  were  disap- 
pointed. "As  many  as  touched  him  were  healed."  It  may  yet  be 
said  that  this  does  not  make  it  clear ;  that  though  sufficient  has 
been  said  to  show  that  it  was  the  will  of  God,  and  the  right  of  His 
people  to  claim  healing  in  the  primitive  time,  yet  we  are  in 
different  days  now,  and  God's  will  in  this  respect  has  been  changed. 
Suppose  such  an  illogical  argument  were  admitted.    If  God's  will 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  19 

has  been  changed  with  respect  to  heaUng,  then  who  can  tell  us 
that  there  is  anything  left  in  the  plan  of  redemption  ? 

But  we  shall  not  give  place  to  such  foolish  imagination.  God 
has  given  us  an  expression  of  His  will  toward  mankind  through 
Jesus  Christ,  who  promised  to  be  with  His  disciples  as  they  went 
into  all  the  earth,  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  All  nations  were  to 
hear  the  gospel,  and  as  long  as  it  is  yet  to  go  forth  God  will  honor 
His  word  and  confirm  it  with  His  healing  power  upon  all  who 
by  faith  come  to  Him  for  healing.  Those  who  went  forth  in 
primitive  times  preached  the  full  gospel,  and  all  who  heard 
and  believed  received  a  full  experience.  This  was  by  no  means 
limited  to  the  twelve  apostles.  It  is  recorded  that  healing  and 
miracles  followed  the  ministry  of  Paul,  Stephen,  and  Philip.  How 
could  the  people  hear  the  gospel  without  it  being  preached  in 
those  days?  It  was  necessary  then  that  ''all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you"  should  be  boldly  taught.  The  people 
heard  it,  and  all  who  were  disposed  to  believe,  were  saved  and 
healed.  ''Faith  cometh  by  hearing  the  word  of  God." — Rom. 
10:17. 

The  impotent  man  at  Lystra  must  have  been  listening  to  the 
doctrine  of  Christ  the  Healer,  when  Paul  perceived  that  he  had 
faith  to  be  healed.  The  marvelous  result  that  followed  shows 
beyond  doubt  that  he  believed,  and  was  healed.  In  fact  it  is  utterly 
impossible  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ  without  preaching  divine 
healing,  and  as  it  is  the  distinctly  expressed  will  of  God  that 
Christ  should  be  preached  to  all  the  world,  and  nothing  could 
please  Him  but  the  preaching  of  His  perfect  redemption,  why 
should  we  be  satisfied  in  this  twentieth  century  with  but  a  part 
of  the  gospel  ?  Whatever  Christ  was  to  the  world  in  the  days  of 
His  earthly  ministry.  He  continued  to  be  in  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
days  of  the  apostles,  and  those  that  followed.  The  Spirit  was  His 
executive  to  carry  on  the  redemption  work  as  long  as  this  dis- 
pensation shall  last,  which  will  be  until  the  coming  of  Christ. 
Wherever  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  and  can  do  the  will  of  God, 
which  only  can  be  done  in  those  who  believe  the  gospel,  we  have 
the  right  to  claim  the  gospel  blessings. 

Among  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  which  God  has  put  in  the  church 
are  the  gifts  of  healing  (1  Cor.  12:9),  which  with  every  other 
means  of  grace  are  designed  for  the  comfort  and  profit  of  the 
church,  and  also  to  give  authority  and  power  to  the  gospel  of 
Christ.    Not  a  sentence  in  the  sacred  record  can  be  given  to  show 


20  DI  Y  IX  E    HEALING. 

that  these  gifts  have  ever  been  taken  out  of  the  church,  neither 
that  Christ  the  Healer  should  not  be  preached.  Just  as  truly  as 
salvation  from  sin  is  our  blood-bought  inheritance,  so  is  healing. 
Let  us  therefore,  in  the  face  of  all  doubts  and  disputations  of  the 
Devil,  meet  the  conditions  of  faith  and  claim  our  redemption  right 
"Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  His  benefits :  Who 
forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities;  Who  healeth  all  thy  diseases." — Ps. 
103  :2,  3. 


A  PATIENT  CONSULTING  DR.  S.  A.  RICHMOND. 
Paul  says,  "  There  is  one  God  and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men — the  man  Christ  Jesus.'''' 


^ 


M  I  N  D    A  A'  D    F  AIT  H    C  U  RE  .  23 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


The  divine  healer  is  the  mediator  between  Christ  and  the 
afflicted.  Therefore  God  does,  through  man,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  heal  the  sick.  In  the  first  place,  God  healed  the  sick  through 
Jesus  Christ.  Now  he  heals  the  sick  through  man,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Then  man  has  inherent  power  to  heal  through  and 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  you  wish  to  lay  your  hands  on 
the  sick  you  will  heal  them,  with  the  spoken  word,  as  Jesus  healed 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands  with  the  prayer  which  must  always  ac- 
company it.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  that  Christ  bestowed 
upon  man.  It  destroys  pain  almost  instantly.  It  is  a  panacea  for 
every  disease  known  to  man  where  it  is  applied  by  the  spirit  of 
God  Almighty.  It  is  God's  work.  It  is  God's  method  accorduig 
to  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ  of  the  laying  on  of  hands.  The  divine 
healer  reads  the  mind  of  the  afflicted  and  diagnoses  his  case,  and 
telegraphs  his  case  to  Christ,  through  silent  prayer.  Christ  pleads 
his  case  before  the  throne  of  God.  Christ  read  the  minds  of  the 
afflicted  and  had  no  trouble  in  healing  their  diseases. 

The  divine  healer  must  cast  all  evils  out  of  himself  and  live  a 
pure  and  Christ-like  life  before  he  can  be  endowed  with  this  great 
gift  of  spiritual  power  from  heaven  to  heal  the  sick.  He  must 
approach  his  patients  with  divine  love.  If  he  has  not  this  power 
invested  in  himself,  he  cannot  heal  the  sick.  The  afflicted  must 
have  faith.  If  they  come  doubting,  as  doubting  Thomas  did,  they 
must  not  expect  God  to  heal  them. 

We  are  healing  the  afflicted  as  commanded  by  Christ,  and  we 
know  that  we  are  on  the  right  road  because  we  heal  the  sick.  We 
know  that  God  gives  us  the  power  and  he  answers  our  prayers. 
We  know  that  we  are  right  because  the  Bible  tells  us  that  the 
disciples  went  forth  preaching  this  doctrine,  and  the  truth  was 
vindicated  by  their  works.  This  is  how  we  know  that  we  are 
right.  Our  works  show  that  we  are  right.  Are  you  going  down 
with  this  great  body  of  humanity,  going  over  the  precipice  called 
death,  bowing  down  to  sickness,  to  sin,  and  to  sorrow,  or  are  you 
going  to  turn  your  face  toward  the  sunlight  of  God's  truth  and 
walk  up  the  stairs  of  intelligence  until  you  know  the  truth,  as 
Jesus  says,  which  makes  you  free?  If  you  select  the  proper  road, 
God's  hand  reaches  out  to  lead  you  and  take  you  along  the  pathway, 


24  DIVINE    HEALING. 

filling  every  step  with  joy,  with  peace,  with  contentment,  blesses 
you  in  health,  harmony  and  plenty.  God's  blessings  are  here 
awaiting  you.  In  the  last  command  that  Jesus  gave  to  His  disci- 
ples on  the  day  of  His  ascension  was :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature;  he  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be 
damned,  and  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe."  Listen, 
reader,  and  study  Christ's  own  word — "  and  these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe."  "In  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils." 
"  They  shall  speak  with  new  tongues."  "  They  shall  take  up  ser- 
pents, and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them." 
"They  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  they  shall  recover."  This 
blessing  was  made  perpetual,  and  gave  to  every  man  and  woman 
power  to  heal  the  sick.  Listen  to  Christ's  own  words — "  And  these 
signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe." 

Brother,  sister,  do  you  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God?  If  so,  be  baptized,  and  you  will  have  the  power  bestowed 
upon  you  by  Christ  to  heal  the  sick.  These  are  Jesus  Christ's  own 
words.  Now,  when  we  doubt,  we  become  fearful,  and  what  is  the 
result  ?  We  are  simply  denying  what  Jesus  Christ  told  us.  It  is 
an  indictment  against  God,  saying  that  God  has  lied  to  us  through 
His  Son. 

Now,  the  record  shows  this,  that  in  the  first  place,  God  healed 
the  sick  through  Jesus  Christ.  We  are  told  in  the  sixteenth  chapter 
of  Mark,  when  the  order  went  forth  to  heal  the  sick,  that  "in  my 
name,"  Jesus  says,  you  shall  do  so  and  so ;  and  wherever  the 
apostles  went  to  heal  any  person  that  we  have  any  record  of,  they 
healed  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  set  the  way. 
He  gives  us  the  path  in  which  to  follow,  and  we  are  to  do  as  He 
did  and  do  it  in  His  name.  Therefore  God  does,  through  man, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  heal  the  sick.  Mark  you  that  God 
did,  through  Jesus  Christ,  heal  the  sick.  God  is  the  healer.  We 
have  the  same  power  that  Jesus  Christ  had,  because  Christ  said 
so,  but  we  have  to  do  our  healing  through  and  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  healing  gift  he  lends  to  them 

Who  use  it  in  His  name, 
The  power  that  filled  his  garments'  hem 

Is  evermore  the  same. 
The  healing  of  his  seamless  dress 

Is  by  our  beds  of  pain, 
We  touch  Him  in  life's  throng  and  press, 

And  we  are  whole  again. 

Whittier. 


DR.  S.  A.  RICHMOND  IN  THE  ACT  OF  TREATING  A  PATIENT. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  27 


IN  THE  ACT  OF  TREATING  A  PATIENT. 

Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  in  the  act  of  treating  a  patient  according 
to  the  teachings  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  and  by 
St.  James,  His  brother.  Christ  practiced  the  laying  on  of  hands. 
Mark  VII:31-37;  Mark  VIII  :22-26,  and  many  other  cases  could 
be  enumerated.  Is  any  among  you  afflicted  ?  Let  him  pray.  Is  any 
merry  ?  Let  him  sing  psalms.  Is  any  sick  among  you  ?  Let  him 
call  for  the  elders  of  the  church  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  an- 
nointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  prayer  of 
faith  shall  save  the  sick.     Saint  James,  IV:13-15. 


HOW  LONG  DOES  IT  TAKE  TO  EFFECT  A  CURE? 

This  is  a  question  frequently  asked.  The  length  of  time  re- 
quired depends  upon  the  patient.  If  he  comes  for  treatment  with 
a  heart  like  stone,  full  of  hatred,  malice,  envy,  jealousy,  and  eyes 
full  of  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  I  cannot  promise  a  speedy  cure.  He 
must  be  born  again  and  come  as  a  little  child  and  humble  himself 
to  God,  as  the  father  of  the  lunatic  did  when  he  said  with  tears, 
*'  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief."  And  Jesus  rebuked 
the  foul  spirit,  saying  unto  him :  "Thou  deaf  and  dumb  spirit,  I 
charge  thee  come  out  of  him  and  enter  no  more  into  him."  His 
disciples  asked  Him  privately  why  they  could  not  cast  him  out, 
and  the  Lord  said  unto  them,  '*  this  kind  can  come  forth  by  nothing, 
but  by  prayer  and  fasting."  The  disciples  tried  to  heal  this  case, 
but  failed  for  lack  of  spiritual  power.  The  divine  healer  must  go 
up  to  the  mount  of  transfiguration  to  receive  power  up  there.  Then 
he  is  prepared  to  go  below  in  the  valley  to  heal  the  sick.  He  can- 
not impart  to  others  what  he  does  not  possess  himself.  If  the 
afflicted  will  have  faith  and  come  with  pure  hearts,  they  can  get 
a  cure  almost  instantly,  but  if  they  come  unprepared  to  receive  the 
blessing,  it  will  take  longer  to  cure  them.  They  must  be  fed  on 
this  gospel  milk  until  they  become  spiritually  minded,  then  they 
will  be  fed  on  the  gospel  meat  of  this  divine  healing  and  mind 
cure.  It  may  take  a  week  to  effect  a  cure,  and  it  may  take 
several  weeks  or  even  months  before  they  can  get  this  gospel  of 
divine  healing  thoroughly  inbred  into  them.  They  must  give  up 
sin  and  quit  sinning  and  give  up  all  for  Jesus. 


28  DIVINE    HEALING. 

STRONG  IN  FAITH. 
(Romans,  IV:20.) 

If  we  want  blessings  from  God,  nothing  can  fetch  them  down 
but  faith.  Prayer  cannot  draw  down  answers  from  God's  throne, 
except  they  be  the  earnest  prayers  of  the  man  who  beheves.  Faith 
is  the  angeHc  messenger  between  the  soul  and  the  Lord  Jesus  in 
glory.  Let  that  angel  be  withdrawn,  we  can  neither  send  up  prayer 
nor  receive  the  answer.  Faith  is  the  telegraphic  wire  which  links 
earth  and  Heaven ;  on  which  God's  messengers  of  love  fly  so  fast 
that  before  we  call  He  answers,  and  while  we  are  yet  speaking  he 
hears  us.  But  if  that  telegraphic  wire  of  faith  be  snapped,  how 
can  we  receive  the  promise?  If  I  am  sick,  I  can  obtain  immediate 
help  for  my  trouble  by  faith  in  God's  power  to  heal.  Faith  clothes 
me  with  the  power  of  God.  Faith  engages  on  my  side  the  om- 
nipotence of  Jehovah.  Faith  insures  every  attribute  of  God  in 
my  defense.  It  helps  me  defy  the  hosts  of  hell.  It  makes  me  march 
triumphant  over  the  necks  of  my  enemies ;  but  without  faith  how- 
can  I  receive  anything  of  the  Lord  ? 

Those  who  brought  their  friends  to  Jesus  do  we  think  for  a 
moment  had  no  faith?  No,  they  had  all  faith  in  His  ability  and 
power,  or  why  would  they  have  come?  Do  you  think  that  those 
who  were  carried  had  no  faith?  Surely  they  had  faith,  or  would 
they  have  consented  to  the  process  ?  Do  we  suppose  the  centurion 
and  his  servant  had  no  faith  when  he  came  to  Jesus?  Ah,  he 
knew  what  Jesus  was  willing  and  able  to  do,  for  he  said:  "  I  am 
not  worthy  for  you,  the  Son  of  God,  to  come  under  my  roof.  Just 
speak  the  word  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed,"  and  it  was  done. 
They  came  in  assurance.  They  came  in  a  humble  and  worshipful 
attitude,  not  in  doubts,  fears  and  unbelief.  They  gave  Jesus  a 
chance  to  do  His  will.  We  seldom  do.  They  were  full  of  faith 
and  obedience  and  adoration.  We  come  full  of  doubts  and  fears 
and  unbelief.  We  live  far  away  from  God  until  perhaps  some 
calamity  overtakes  us.  Then  we  run  quickly  to  God.  Will  He 
then  hear  ?  He  may  hear,  but  He  may  see  fit  first  to  administer  a 
lesson.  Can  we  expect  the  blessings  of  our  Father's  house  when 
we  occupy  it  so  little  ?  It  is  He  that  dwelleth  there,  and  those  who 
keep  His  commandments  and  do  those  things  that  are  pleasing  ir 
His  sight,  that  are  to  receive  what  they  ask  for. 


A  NUT  TO  CRACK. 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    C  U  RE  .  31 


A  NUT  TO  CRACK. 

A  nut  for  ministers  of  the  gospel  to  crack. 

The  very  last  words  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  the  day  of  His 
ascension,  were :  ''Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved, 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned,  and  these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe."  Brothers,  here  is  the  nut  that  I  want 
you  to  crack.  Read  this  carefully,  slowly  and  prayerfully :  "And 
these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe.  In  my  name  shall  thev 
cast  out  devils.  They  shall  speak  with  new  tongues.  They  shall 
take  up  serpents,  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall  not 
hurt  them.  They  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  they  shall  re- 
cover." Brother,  can  you  deny  Jesus'  own  words?  Mind  you, 
signs  were  not  to  follow  the  preacher,  but  the  command  was  to  go 
and  preach  this  gospel  and  these  signs  should  follow  those  that 
believe  your  preaching.  Among  other  things,  they  should  lay  then- 
hands  on  the  sick  and  they  should  recover.  That  gift  from  Christ 
was  made  perpetual,  and  those  who  believe  can  heal  the  sick  the 
same  today  as  the  believers  did  nineteen  hundred  years  ago. 

We  have  our  Savior's  example.  We  are  told  that  He  "is  the 
Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life" ;  He  went  over  Palestine  and  Judea, 
preaching  the  gospel  and  healing  the  sick.  What  He  did  He  said 
we  should  do,  and  we  are  doing.  His  command  to  His  disciples  was 
to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  this  gospel  that  He  had  been 
teaching  them,  and  these  signs  should  follow  those  who  believed. 
Mind  you,  the  signs  were  not  to  follow  the  preacher,  but  the  com- 
mand was  to  go  and  teach  this  gospel  and  preach  it, 
and  "these  signs  shall  follow  those  who  believe"  your  preach- 
ing. What  were  these  signs?  Among  other  things,  they  should 
drink  deadly  poison  and  it  should  not  hurt  them ;  they  should 
handle  reptiles  and  nothing  could  harm  them;  they  should  lay 
their  hands  on  the  sick  and  they  should  recover.  In  the  Bible 
this  is  the  only  definition  given  of  a  believer,  how  a  believer  should 
be  known.  He  who  believes,  has  and  must  have  that  power.  The 
signs  must  follow.  They  had  the  power  then,  and  according  to 
the  immutable  and  unchangeable  laws  of  God  Almighty  there 
never  was  a  change;  those  who  believed  then  had  the  signs  fol- 
lowing, and  those  who  believe  today  have  the  same  signs  and 
can  heal  the  sick. 


32  i>  I  y  I  A'  f^  It  I'J  A  hi  N  a . 

Jesus  went  apart  to  hold  high  fellowship  with  the  Father,  and 
we  must  enter  into  the  same  divine  companionship  if  we  would 
bless  our  fellow  men.  No  wonder  that  the  apostles  were  clothed 
with  power  when  they  came  down  fresh  from  the  mountain  where 
Jesus  was.  This  morning  we  must  endeavor  to  ascend  the  mount 
of  communion,  that  there  we  may  be  ordained  to  the  lite-work 
for  which  we  are  set  apart.  Let  us  not  see  the  face  of  man  today 
till  we  have  seen  Jesus,  Time  spent  with  Him  is  laid  out  at 
blessed  interest.  We,  too,  shall  cast  out  devils  and  work  wonders 
if  we  go  down  into  the  world  girded  with  that  divine  energy  whicli 
Christ  alone  can  give.  It  is  of  no  use  going  to  the  Lord's  battle 
till  we  are  armed  with  heavenly  weapons.  We  niiLSt  see  Jesus  :  this 
is  essential.  At  the  mercy  seat  we  will  linger  till  He  shall  mani- 
fest Himself  unto  us  as  He  doth  not  unto  the  world,  and  until  we 
can  truthfully  say,  "We  were  with  Him  in  the  Holy  Mount." 

Jesus'  promise  was  made  perpetual  for  all  time  to  come,  and 
means  you,  me  and  everybody  that  believes  and  is  baptized.  You 
should  heal  the  sick,  and  every  man  and  woman  should  heal  the 
sick  that  believes  as  Jesus  intends  that  we  should  believe  and  is 
baptized.  Brother,  do  you  believe  or  do  you  doubt  Jesus  word? 
If  you  doubt  it,  you  make  Jesus  out  a  liar.  There  are  a  great  many 
people  who  cannot  heal  the  sick,  but  every  person  who  believes 
as  Jesus  Christ  intends  he  shall  believe  can  heal  the  sick.  And  if 
you  cannot  heal  the  sick  you  have  not  the  full  belief  that  set  you 
free.  Ministers  of  the  gospel,  God's  holy  annointed,  are  the  last 
persons  on  earth  who  should  employ  a  physician,  other  than 
Christ  Jesus.  When  they  were  anointed  to  preach  the  gospel, 
they  were  made  shepherds  to  look  after  Christ's  sheep.  They 
were  given  power  to  heal  sin  and  save  souls.  The  same  power 
that  heals  sin  will  heal  the  sick,  only  they  have  to  use  and  apply 
this  power  in  a  different  way.  Jesus  said,  "He  that  believeth  on 
Me,  the  works  that  I  do  he  shall  do  also."  Whenever  you  believe 
as  Christ  intends  you  should,  then  there  is  no  power  on  earth  to 
prevent  you  from  healing  the  sick.  Nothing  can  be  found  in  the 
word  of  God  where  these  conditions  were  to  be  altered  in  the 
ministration  of  these  blessings  throughout  the  Holy  Spirit  dis- 
pensation. It  is  the  blessed  privilege  of  every  true  and  humble 
minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  possess  this  same  power,  yea, 
more,  no  one  should  dare  undertake  to  preach  the  gospel  without 
the  endowment  of  this  power.  The  command  to  the  disciples  is 
equally  binding  upon  every  disciple  of  Jesus  today,  whether  a 
professed  minister  or  not. 


WE  ARE  IN  THE  SAME  BOAT. 


IND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  36 


SHALL  I  DISCHARGE  MY  DOCTOR? 

Shall  I  discharge  my  doctor  ?  is  a  question  frequently  asked. 
My  answer  is,  no.  If  you  have  any  faith  in  him  you  cannot  afford 
to  discharge  him  and  make  a  life-long  enemy.  If  God  Almighty 
cannot  heal  the  sick  in  spite  of  the  physicians,  then  He  is  not 
omnipotent  in  power.  The  physicians  of  Esculapius  and  myself 
are  all  in  the  same  boat — they  are  powerless  and  are  in  the  hands 
of  God.  If  God  does  not  give  their  medicines  their  medical  vir- 
tues and  healing  properties,  they  make  no  cures ;  on  the  other 
hand,  if  the  patient  comes  to  me  filled  full  of  unbelief,  and  God 
does  not  hear  my  prayers,  I  make  no  cures.  So,  you  see,  we  are 
all  depending  upon  God  for  power,  through  Christ.  Christ  has 
charge  of  the  keys  of  the  celestial  kingdom  that  unlock  and  reveal 
unto  men  the  hidden  mysteries.  I  treat  the  afflicted  in  accordance 
with  the  divine  rules  laid  down  and  practiced  by  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  all  done  through  love.  That  was  Christ's  method.  In  that  way 
I  accomplish  the  desired  results  and  will  not  block  the  wheels 
of  this  precious  truth  by  needless  antagonism.  I  never  ask  my 
patients  whether  they  are  taking  medicines,  or  how  many  physicians 
they  have  treating  them.  It  makes  no  difference  to  me  how  many 
doctors  they  have.  God  through  Christ  does  the  healing.  I  care 
not  whether  the  afflicted  is  healed  through  drugs  or  by  the  divine 
power.  I  shall  do  my  duty  and  do  all  I  can  for  my  patient.  If  I 
fail  to  cure  him,  I  will  do  him  no  harm;  but,  if  he  gets  in  the 
hands  of  an  unskilled  and  unprincipled  medical  doctor,  and  he  does 
not  cure  him  he  is  liable  to  do  him  injury.  My  advice  to  the 
afflicted  is,  when  they  employ  a  medical  man,  to  employ  a  good  one 
and  to  avoid  the  one  whose  hide  is  soaked  with  rum.  Such  a  man 
should  not  practice  medicine  even  on  dumb  brutes,  much  less  the 
human  family. 

Jesus  tells  us  to  be  wise  as  serpents  and  as  harmless  as  doves. 
Here  is  a  world  which,  since  the  days  of  Jesus  Christ,  has  been 
depending  upon  materia  medica  alone  for  its  healing,  for  we  have 
no  record  of  any  miraculous  healing,  so-called,  since  about  three 
centuries  after  Christ's  death.  To  come  to  the  people  now  as  a 
divine  healer,  after  all  of  these  ages,  and  say,  you  must  discharge 
your  doctor,  before  I  will  take  the  case,  is  a  preposterous  and  an 
unchristian  spirit.  If  the  presence  of  a  physician  in  the  sick-room 
serves  as  a  balm  in  Gilead  to  the  sorrowing  soul,  who  can  ration- 


36  DIVIN  E    H  EALIN  G. 

ally  object  but  a  heathen.  The  power  of  a  divine  healer  is  purely 
spiritual — a  gift  direct  from  the  All- Wise  Divinity.  They,  of 
course,  can  have  no  confidence  in  medicine,  which  even  the  higher 
class  of  medical  men  declare  to  be  absolutely  empirical,  simply  ex- 
perimental and  not  definite  in  its  results.  Really  and  unprejudiced- 
ly, the  practice  of  materia  medica  is  merely  a  system  of  guess  work 
from  beginning  to  end — a  sort  of  hit  or  miss  in  its  results.  I  was 
a  disciple  of  Esculapius  and  his  pill  bag  for  many  years.  When  the 
hand  of  God  Almighty  was  behind  my  medicines,  I  made  cures 
and  when  it  was  not,  I  made  failures  the  same  as  all  other 
doctors. 

What  is  God?  What  is  Truth?  What  is  Life?  Love,  mind, 
health,  spirit,  intelligence,  strength,  soul,  good,  right,  they  are  all 
one  and  the  same  thing.  They  are  all  real,  because  they  are  all  in- 
finite and  eternal.  We  now  recur  to  the  question,  What  is  God? 
We  are  told,  first,  that  God  is  spirit.  We  find  that  the  spiritual 
tree  is  judged  by  its  fruits.  The  fruits  of  the  spirit  are  love,  peace, 
joy,  long  suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  tem- 
perance. There  is  no  hate  among  these  fruits.  There  is  nothing 
but  good.  There,  good  is  the  fruit  of  the  spirit.  We  are  told 
that  when  He  shall  come  again  we  shall  be  like  Him,  for  we  shall 
see  Him  as  He  is.  We  are  told,  God's  spirit  maketh  life,  for  God 
is  the  Life.  What  is  life  ?  Did  you  ever  notice,  did  you  ever  think 
what  life  is  ?  When  God  made  man,  He  breathed  into  his  nostrils. 
What  ?  The  breath  of  life.  There  never  was  one  child  created  any 
different  from  another  since  the  original  creation.  All  have  this 
breath  of  life,  which  is  the  breath  of  God.  Life,  therefore,  is 
what?  Life  is  the  breath  of  God — life  is  God.  Therefore  know 
that  God  is  omnipresent  love  and  that  God's  love  surrounds  you ; 
that  you  live  in  it — that  it  covers  you  as  the  waters  cover  the  fishes 
in  the  sea.  Now,  can  evil  come  near  you  ?  can  it  touch  you  ?  can 
you  be  sick  ?  can  you  be  poor  ?  can  you  be  sorrowful  ?  can  you  be 
in  trouble  of  any  kind  or  character  when  God  Almighty's  love 
engulfs  you  and  you  live  in  it,  and  love  covers  you  as  the  waters 
cover  the  fishes  in  the  sea?  God's  love  is  unlimited  power,  om- 
nipotence. God  is  good,  all  good,  and  you  live  in  love  and  you 
live  in  God,  and  you  live  in  all  good  as  well.  Therefore,  good 
surrounds  you  upon  the  right  hand  and  upon  the  left,  and  it  is  only 
he  or  she  who  fails  to  realize  this  truth,  who  doubts  the  word  of 
God  Almighty,  that  can  suffer. 


p:sculapius  and  the  pill  bag. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  39 


ESCULAPIUS  AND  THE  PILL  BAG. 

For  many  years  I  was  a  disciple  of  Esculapius,  and  carried  his 
pill  bag  and  treated  and  prescribed  drugs  to  thousands  of  sick 
people.  I  made  failures  the  same  as  all  other  doctors,  and  I  made 
some  wonderful  cures,  and  have  been  lauded  to  the  skies  by  the 
press  and  pulpit.  I  never  made  a  cure  in  my  life,  nor  did  the 
medical  faculty  or  any  living  man,  but  that  the  hand  of  God 
Almighty  was  the  prevailing  character  in  each  and  every  case. 
God  gave  the  patient  faith  to  believe  that  the  medicine  would  cure 
him,  and  God  gave  the  medicines  their  medicinal  virtues  and  heal- 
ing qualities,  and  the  cure  was  performed  by  God  and  not  by  man. 
There  is  nothing  impossible  with  God.  If  He  can  heal  the  sick 
with  drugs.  He  can  just  as  easily  heal  them  without  drugs.  I  be- 
came disgusted  with  drugs  and  dropped  th,em,  and  put  my  trust 
in  God  Almighty  through  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Healer  and 
founder  of  divine  healing  that  cures  every  known  disease. 

My  honest  opinion  is  that  doctors  do  more  harm  than  good. 
There  is  a  medical  book  written,  entitled  "Every  Man  His  Own 
Doctor."  The  author  ought  to  write  one  more  book  and  entitle  it, 
''Every  Man  His  Own  Undertaker."  The  doctor  is  welcomed  in 
every  mansion.  Children  shout  when  they  see  his  gig  coming,  and 
old  men,  recognizing  his  step,  look  up  and  say,  "Doctor,  is  that 
you?"  He  stands  between  their  families  and  the  grave,  fighting 
disease.  No  one  receives  as  many  hearty  thanks  as  the  doctor. 
Under  God  and  by  God's  divine  hand,  he  makes  the  blind  see,  the 
deaf  hear,  the  lame  walk.  The  path  of  such  is  strewn  with  the 
benedictions  of  those  whom  they  have  befriended.  But  we  never 
hear  any  shouts  of  thanks  from  the  thousands  whose  lives  were 
wrecked  by  their  poisonous  drugs,  as  the  result  of  their  medical 
mistakes  and  malpractice.  How  many  thousands  of  children  are 
now  suffering  from  the  results  of  the  ruined  constitutions  of  their 
parents  as  a  trophy  and  an  heirloom,  or  a  legacy,  bestowed  upon 
them  by  the  medical  profession.  How  many  thousands  of  consci- 
entious parents  suffer  all  the  torments  of  the  damned  as  the  result 
of  poisonous  drugs,  medical  mistakes  and  malpractice  by  incom- 
petent doctors.  Look  around  you  on  every  side  and  see  the  thous- 
ands of  sickly,  half  imbecile,  dwarf  children,  about  half  made  up. 
From  whence  do  these  all  spring  ?    Certainly  not  from  nature.    Ah 


40  DIVIDE    HEALING. 

no !  Look  back  to  the  days  of  our  forefathers,  through  the  dim 
vista  of  ages,  and  see  to  what  an  age  human  Hfe  was  prolonged. 
That  was  nature  before  Esculapius  and  his  pill  bag  arrived.  There 
may  be  some  physicians  who  have  objections  to  this  article.  If 
they  do,  investigate  and  you  will  find  that  they  are  infidels,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  and  would  crucify  Jesus  Christ  as  quickly  and  as 
readily  as  they  did  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  I  am  not  making 
a  fight  or  warfare  on  doctors,  but  am  championing  the  cause  of 
Christianity  and  God's  power  through  Christ  to  heal  the  sick.  I 
have  seen  physicians  completely  under  the  influence  of  rum  pre- 
scribe medicines  for  the  sick ;  when  they  were  so  drunk  that  they 
could  not  walk  erect  and  their  tongues  were  paralyzed,  so  that 
no  one  could  understand  what  they  said.  No  wonder  doctors  lose 
so  many  patients,  and  still  they  are  protected  under  the  cloak 
of  the  medical  profession.  You  may  take  any  leading  doctor's  pre- 
scriptions and  they  are  not  worth  the  paper  they  are  written  on 
without  the  power  of  God  Almighty.  The  hand  of  God  gave  the 
medical  virtues  and  healing  properties  to  the  drugs  they  prescribed. 
There  is  not  a  conscientious  Christian  medical  practitioner  in  the 
world  but  what  will  acknowledge  this  to  be  the  fact. 

Dr.  James  B.  Bell,  of  Boston,  an  eminent  physician  and  be- 
liever in  divine  healing,  in  writing  about  the  blind  faith  of  people 
in  the  use  of  patent  medicines,  says,  "But,  to  be  faithful,  I  must 
also  warn  you  against  the  use  of  drugs  by  physicians.  Narcotics, 
sedatives,  stimulants,  tonics,  quinine,  antipyrine,  and  hundreds  of 
others  are  injuring  brains  and  nerves,  stomachs  and  livers,  bring- 
ing on  heart  failure  and  doing  far  more  harm  than  good.  Dr. 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  whose  fame  is  known  from  ocean  to 
ocean  as  a  medical  man,  said  that,  'if  all  the  drugs  were  cast  into 
the  sea,  it  would  be  better  for  humanity,  but  worse  for  the  fishes.'  '' 
Dr.  Bell  said,  "I  believe  that  if  the  advice  of  Dr.  Holmes  were 
followed,  and  physicians  would  confine  themselves  to  giving  good 
advice  and  mechanical  and  surgical  aid  when  needed,  those  afiiict- 
ed  would  be  better  off."  That  is  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond's  theory, 
and  he  applies  all  the  mechanical  and  surgical  aids  in  connection 
with  his  divine  healing,  and  that  is  the  secret  of  his  great  success 
in  healing  the  sick. 

I  am  fulfilling  Christ's  commands  :  "Go  out  into  the  world  and 
lay  your  hands  upon  the  sick  and  heal  them."  Christ  made  many 
miraculous  cures  by  laying  His  hands  upon  the  diseased  spot.  Di- 
vine healing  uses  the  hands  to  correct  these  obstructions  and  then 
the  Spirit  of  God  does  the  rest. 


HEALING  OF  SIMON'S  WIFE'S  MOTHER. 


A-^ 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  43 

HEALING  OF  SIMON'S  WIFE'S  MOTHER. 
(mark  1:29-31.) 

''  And  forthwith,  when  they  were  come  out  of  the  syn- 
gogue,  they  entered  into  the  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  with 
Jesus  and  John." 

"  But  Simon's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  with  a  fever." 

"  And  He  came  and  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  Hfted  her 
up;  and  immediately  the  fever  left  her,  and  she  ministered  unto 
them." 

Very  interesting  is  this  little  peep  into  the  house  of  the  apos- 
tolic fisherman.  Peter's  house  was  probably  a  poor  fisherman's  hut, 
but  the  Lord  of  Glory  entered  it,  lodged  in  it,  and  wrought  a  mir- 
acle in  it.  Should  this  book  be  read  this  morning  in  some 
very  humble  cottage,  let  this  fact  encourage  the  inmates  to  seek 
the  company  of  King  Jesus.  God  is  oftener  in  little  huts  than 
in  rich  palaces.  Jesus  is  looking  round  your  room  now,  and  is 
waiting  to  be  gracious  to  you.  Into  Simon's  house  sickness  had 
entered,  fever  in  a  deadly  form  had  prostrated  his  mother-in-law ; 
and  as  soon  as  Jesus  came  they  told  Him  of  the  sad  affliction,  and 
He  hastened  to  the  patient's  bed.  Have  you  any  sickness  in  the 
house  this  morning?  You  will  find  Jesus  by  far  the  best  physician  ; 
go  to  Him  at  once,  and  tell  Him  all  about  the  matter.  The  tender 
heart  of  Jesus  waits  to  hear  our  griefs;  let  us  pour  them  into  His 
patient  ear. 


HEALING  OF  A  GREAT  FEVER. 

"And  when  Jesus  was  come  into  Peter's  house,  he  saw  his 
wife's  mother  laid,  and  sick  of  a  fever.  And  He  touched  her 
hand,  and  the  fever  left  her:  and  she  arose  and  ministered  unto 
them." — Matt.  8  :14,  15.  This  same  narrative  given  in  the  gospels 
of  Mark  and  Luke,  teaches  us  that  this  woman  was  prostrate  with 
a  great  fever.  Jesus  rebuked  it,  took  her  hand,  and  lifted  her  up. 
She  was  immediately  healed  of  the  fever  and  received  divine 
strength  and  at  once  arose  and  ministered  to  them.  In  this 
expression  of  mercy  we  see  the  power  and  will  of  Christ  to  heal 
fevers.     He  could  not  be  a  perfect  Healer  if  He  could  not  heal 


44  D  IV  IN  E    H  E  ALIN  G. 

fevers.  ''Himself  bare  our  sicknesses,"  includes  all  diseases  which 
He  healed  in  His  earthly  ministry,  and  every  invention  of  modern 
name  that  Satan  has  fastened  on  suffering  humanity.  Christ  was 
more  than  a  match  for  the  works  of  the  Devil  then,  and  the 
centuries  that  have  passed  have  not  diminished  his  saving  and 
healing  power.  The  gospel  dispensation  has  not  ended  yet,  there- 
fore we  have  the  privilege  of  the  same  provisions  of  redemption 
now  as  were  enjoyed  through  faith  in  Christ  at  the  beginning  of 
this  glorious  age. 

Theological  theory  and  tradition  speak  to  the  contrary,  but 
how  can  we  whose  ears  and  hearts  are  open  to  the  gospel  only, 
receive  the  sayings  of  men  who  have  but  the  form  of  the  gospel, 
and  deny  the  power  thereof  ?  We  bow  in  humble  reverence  to  the 
name  of  Christ  today,  who  is  the  Exalted  One  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  Majesty  on  high,  and  proves  to  His  people  who  believe  in  Him 
as  Healer,  that  He  is  just  as  ready  to  rebuke  devils  and  heal 
fevers  as  He  was  when  He  entered  the  sick-room  and  stood  by  the 
bedside  of  the  mother-in-law  of  Peter.  His  compassionate  heart  is 
just  the  same  today.  He  waits  to  be  invited  to  the  bedside  of  every 
sufferer.  Multitudes  can  testify  today  of  cases  of  healing  from 
fever  where  the  loving  hand  of  Christ  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  been  laid  upon  them  and  the  burning  fever  was 
stayed. 

*T  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee"  is  as  deeply  significant  to 
God  today  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Israel ;  and  if  it  were  no  less 
so  to  His  church,  there  would  be  a  mighty  advance  of  spiritual 
power  and  vindication  of  the  word  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  this 
crooked  and  perverse  world.  Indeed  there  is  no  greater 
scriptural  manner  by  which  the  church  can  glorify  God  and  shine 
forth  with  the  brilliancy  of  apostolic  times  than  by  honoring  and 
worshiping  Christ  our  Healer. 

Why  not,  brethren,  pray  as  did  the  apostles,  and  then  act 
accordingly?  "Grant  unto  Thy  servants,  that  with  all  boldness 
they  may  speak  Thy  word,  by  stretching  forth  Thine  hand  to  heal, 
and  that  signs  and  wonders  may  be  done  in  the  name  of  thy 
holy  child  Jesus.  "  This  is  an  apostolic  prayer.  Let  us  pray  it. 
Believe  it.  Receive  it.  Live  it.  Then  will  we  shut  the  mouths 
of  the  gainsaying  world  and  compel  men  to  confess  the  truthful- 
ness of  the  word  of  God.  Why  did  the  people  flock  to  Jesus  in 
some  places  in  great  throngs?  He  was  not  attractive  in  his 
manner,    or    appearance,    or    words.      He    did    not    restrain    the 


M  1  N  D    AND    FAITH    CURE.  45 

unpleasant  theme  of  His  earthly  ministry,  repent.  His  words  cut 
men  to  their  hearts,until  even  his  enemies  were  compelled  to  con- 
fess: "Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  Why  then  did  they 
gather  around  Him  so  from  all  quarters  where  they  heard  of 
Him  ^  Was  it  not  because  He  stretched  forth  His  hand  to  heal  ? 
Ah,  this  was  the  secret.  How  then  shall  men  be  attracted  to  Him 
today  ?  The  multiplied  counterfeits  of  Satan  are  designed  to  hold 
the  world  in  unbelief,  and  keep  men  from  coming  to  Christ.  But 
is  not  the  unbelieving,  weak,  and  formal  church,  as  she  trails 
the  banner  of  full  salvation  in  the  dust,  and  her  light  shines  forth 
only  in  flickering  rays,  thus  making  the  word  of  God  of  none 
effect,  doing  more  to  keep  the  world  in  unbelief  than  the  Devil 
himself  can  possibly  do  otherwise? 


JESUS  REBUKED  THE  FEVER 

but  there  was  something  back  of  this  that  was  the  cause  of  the 
trouble.  The  fever  was  only  the  effect,  and  had  no  power  of  its 
own  to  remain  or  depart.  In  his  rebuke  Jesus  spoke  directly  to  a 
living  power  which  could  put  on  or  take  off  the  fever.  This  was  a 
spirit  of  infirmity.  The  fever  was  but  the  burning  hand  of  the  evil 
spirit  which  Jesus  rebuked.  At  His  word  it  had  to  let  loose  its 
destructive  grasp,  which  would  soon  have  ended  the  earthly  life  of 
this  woman.  If  the  reader  needs  light  upon  this  subject,  it  will 
be  found  in  abundance  in  the  word  of  God.  It  is  the  business  of 
Satan  to  bind  with  diseases. 

It  is  the  business  of  Christ  to  heal  those  who  are  bound.  In 
Luke  13  ill  we  read  of  a  woman  who  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity 
eighteen  years.  Jesus  testifies  after  healing  her  that  Satan  had 
bound  her,  and  proves  by  the  miracle,  that  He  came  to  undo  the 
works  of  Satan.  This  truth  may  seem  repulsive  to  some  of  God's 
children  w^ho  cannot  understand  how  a  true  Christian  can  be  thus 
bound  by  the  Devil.  Being  bound  or  oppressed  by  the  Devil  does 
not  necessarily  imply  that  the  individual  is  living  in  sin.  It  is  true 
that  sin  is  the  door  through  which  the  Devil  enters  and  takes 
possession  in  every  possible  manner  in  which  he  can.  This  subject 
will  be  dealt  with  more  definitely  in  another  chapter,  but  for  the 
present  it  may  satisfy  the  mind  of  the  reader  to  say  that  devil- 
oppression  and  devil-possession  are  scripturally  in  many  respects 
very  much  alike.    All  sickness  is  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  devil- 


46  DIVINE    HE  ALIN  G. 

Oppression,  which  term  includes  being  ''bound  of  the  Devil."  We 
do  not  think  it  possible  that  any  responsible  person  can  become 
possessed  of  the  Devil  without  the  commission  of  sin,  either 
directly  or  indirectly.  In  case  of  devil-possessed  children  in  their 
innocency  the  cause  lies  in  the  parents  who  have  sinned,  perhaps 
before  the  child  was  born.  In  such  cases  nothing  but  true  repent- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  parents  will  ever  bring  deliverance  to  the 
child.  Devil-oppression  exists  in  many  cases  upon  God's  children 
through  a  simple  lack  of  faith.  Sin  may  be  the  direct  cause  in 
most  cases ;  yet  to  say  that  every  child  of  God  who  is  sick  has  com- 
mitted sin,  would  be  making  an  unwarranted  statement. 

The  expression  in  Jas.  5  :15,  "And  if  he  have  committed  sins, 
they  shall  be  forgiven  him,"  signifies  that  we  may  be  sick  without 
having  committed  sin.  An  unintentional  mistake  in  judgment  as 
to  the  proper  use  of  our  bodies,  or  a  lack  of  faith  in  an  unavoidable 
exposure  to  disease,  or  other  usual  means  through  which  sickness 
comes,  may  give  the  advantage  to  the  Devil,  who  is  ever  on  the 
alert  to  destroy.  He  is  "seeking  whom  he  may  devour,"  physically, 
as  well  as  spiritually  and  morally.  There  is  but  one  means  of  safety, 
a  prescription  that  never  fails,  ''Whom  resist  steadfast  in  the 
faith/' 

The  testimony  of  Peter  in  Acts  10  :38  proves  that  sickness  is 
the  oppression  of  the  Devil.  Jesus  "  went  about  doing  good 
and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil."  Either  Satan 
himself  or  his  spirits  are  the  direct  agencies  of  sickness.  This 
is  of  course  only  by  the  permission  of  God,  the  same  as  temptation 
in  other  respects.  Sickness  should  be  considered  and  resisted  the 
same  as  temptation.  God  tempts  no  one  (Jas.  1 :13)  and  we  can  as 
boldly  and  scripturally  say  that  God  does  not  make  any  one  sick. 
Jesus  did  not  come  to  work  against  God  in  His  earthly  life  and 
ministry  in  healing  the  sick ;  but  He  did  work  against  the  Devil, 
and  conquered  him  in  every  respect. 

By  faith  in  Jesus  today  every  diabolical  disease  from  the  pit  of 
destruction  may  be  destroyed.  Hallelujah !  Let  us  bow  in  rev- 
erence to  Christ,  the  mighty  Deliverer.  This  scriptural  truth 
should  fill  every  heart  with  a  holy  vehemence  against  disease,  with 
a  determination  that  by  the  grace  of  God  there  shall  be  no  silence 
until  perfect  healing  is  received.  Let  every  sufferer  move  out 
upon  the  plane  of  our  redemption  right,  and  marvelous  will  be  the 
results  to  the  glory  of  our  God.  May  the  cries  and  prayers  of 
faith  be  heard  in  every  direction  from  those  who  are  bound  and 


M  IJ^  D    AN  D    FAIT  H    CU  RE  .  47 

oppressed  by  Satan.  Let  the  earnestness  of  the  bHnd  man  be 
manifested — "Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us." 

While  we  are  humbly  grateful  to  God  for  our  own  deliverance 
from  diseases,  we  are  intensely  in  earnest  as  intercessors  for 
others,  and  those  who  seem  to  make  no  progress  in  faith  for  them- 
selves, must  take  courage  and  lay  hold  upon  God  as  never  before. 
He  will  deliver  if  you  but  keep  believing.  It  may  be  appropriate 
and  timely  to  ofifer  a  suggestion  here  to  those  seeking  healing, 
especially  those  who  may  have  sought  for  some  time  without  any 
manifest  evidence  of  answered  prayer.  A  deeper  earnestness  is 
advisable  to  all,  such  as  has  characterized  the  prayers  of  Daniel, 
Hezekiah,  and  many  of  the  patriarchs  and  prophets ;  but  in  such 
depths  of  earnestness,  let  every  one  bear  in  mind  the  instructions 
of  the  apostle  to  the  Philippians — '7n  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known 
unto  God/'— Fhil  4:  :6. 

In  the  deepest  intensity  of  prayer  and  supplication  when  the 
soul  is  lost  to  all  the  world  and  absorbed  in  the  one  desire,  there 
are  instances  where  God  sees  proper  for  the  time  being  to  with- 
hold the  answer.  This  seems  like  death  to  the  seeker,  who  may 
perhaps  have  to  go  his  way  with  an  unanswered  prayer.  A  heavy 
gloom  may  begin  to  settle  down  upon  him  and  great  discourage- 
ment follow,  until  like  Abraham  a  great  ''horror  of  darkness"  may 
encompass  his  soul.  What  to  do  he  knows  not.  More  prayer  but 
adds  to  his  misery.  Here  is  the  difficulty.  He  should  not  cease 
the  prayer  and  supplications,  but  he  should  in  the  midst  of  his  deep 
intensity  mix  much  thanksgiving  into  his  supplications. 

There  are  thousands  of  blessings  in  this  great  salvation  which 
we  already  possess  which  should  cause  much  thanksgiving.  We 
must  never  become  so  much  interested  in  anything  else  as  to 
forget  to  thank  God  for  what  we  already  possess.  This  sweetens 
our  earnestness  and  gives  wings  to  our  faith,  which  carries  our 
prayer  into  the  ears  of  God  and  brings  the  answer  back.  Let  every 
request  be  made  known  to  God  by  prayer  and  supplication  with 
thanksgiving.  Try  it,  dear  sufferer,  and  see  how  your  heart  will 
brighten  as  you  earnestly  pray  for  your  healing.  It  puts  a  heavenly 
relish  into  our  prayers,  and  helps  us  to  rejoice  in  the  most  dis- 
couraging trials.  The  answer  will  come  when  faith  has  been 
developed,  and  you  will  find  there  has  not  been  one  prayer  nor  tear 
too  many.  The  blessed  Christ  is  waiting  to  do  his  part.  Believe 
him. 


48  DIVIN  E    H  E  ALIN  G. 


HEALING  THE  MULTITUDE. 

"When  the  even  was  come  they  brought  tinto  Him  many  that 
were  possessed  with  devils :  and  He  cast  out  the  spirits  with  his 
word,  and  healed  all  that  were  sick  :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying.  Himself  took  our  infirm- 
ities, and  bare  our  sicknesses." — Matt.  8  :1G,  17. 

Jesus  had  previously  been  through  different  parts  of  Galilee, 
where  He  had  healed  all  manner  of  sicknesses  and  diseases.  Hi^. 
fame  had  gone  out  to  surrounding  places  so  that  the  people  from 
Jerusalem,  Decapolis,  and  elsewhere  sought  for  and  followed 
Him. 

He  went  up  into  the  mountain  and  was  followed  there  by 
disciples  who  sat  at  His  feet  and  heard  His  wonderful  words  of 
life,  the  sermon  on  the  mount.  He  descended  to  Capernaum  and 
on  the  Sabbath  day  went  into  the  synagogue  and  taught  the 
people.  It  was  directly  from  this  synagogue  that  He  went  into 
Peter's  house  and  healed  his  mother-in-law.  The  people  knew  He 
was  there  in  the  house  and  began  to  gather  around  Him.  Their 
strict  regard  for  the  Sabbath  kept  them  from  bringing  their  sick 
until  the  sun  was  setting,  which  was  the  close  of  the  Jewish  day. 
To  bear  any  burdens  on  the  Sabbath  would,  of  course,  be  in  viola- 
tion of  their  law.  But  as  soon  as  the  closing  moment  of  the  day 
had  arrived  they  began  to  bring  their  sick  and  helpless  from  all 
parts  of  the  city,  until  all  the  city  was  gathered  together  at  the 
door.  What  an  interesting  time  for  all,  but  especially  the  poor 
captives  (who  were  under  the  cruel  hand  of  the  Devil ;  some  were 
possessed  *and  others  oppressed  my  him),  as  Jesus  took  them  one 
by  one  and  cast  out  the  evil  spirits  with  His  word,  and  laid  his 
hands  on  the  sick  and  healed  them  all.  There  must  have  been  great 
joy  in  that  city  that  evening. 


JESUS  HEALED  THEM  ALL. 

Had  He  healed  with  respect  to  persons,  there  might  have  been 
no  hopes  for  some,  but  there  is  no  record  of  one  case  ever  being 
turned  avv^ay  by  our  compassionate  Redeemer,  and  we  do  have 
repeated  testimony  that  He  healed  all  who  came  to  Him.     "And 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  49 

Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing 
every  sickness,  and  every  disease  among  the  people." — Matt.  9  :3o. 
"And  Jesus  went  forth,  and  saw  a  great  multitude,  and  was  moved 
with  compassion  toward  them,  and  he  healed  their  sick.  .  .  .  And 
when  they  were  gone  over  they  came  to  the  land  of  Gennesaret, 
and  when  the  men  of  that  place  had  knowledge  of  Him,  they  sent 
out  into  all  that  country  round  about,  and  brought  unto  Him  all 
that  were  diseased ;  and  besought  Him  that  they  might  only  touch 
the  hem  of  His  garment,  and  as  many  as  touched  were  made  per- 
fectly whole."— Matt  14 :14,  34-36. 

The  conditions  were  simple.  They  came  to  Him.  Every 
sinner  must  do  this  to  obtain  pardon.  Every  believer  must  do 
this  to  obtain  cleansing.  The  gift  of  God  is  offered  freely  to  all, 
but  none  can  receive  without  a  perfe(!t  compliance  with  the  divine 
conditions,  which  may  be  summed  up  in  two  words —  Obedience 
and  Faith.  It  is  frequently  stated  that  Jesus  healed  the  people 
unconditionally,  but  such  was  not  the  case.  The  individual 
instances  mentioned,  either  definitely  state,  or  clearly  imply  the 
faith  of  the  individual,  or  some  intercessor,  or  both.  God  is  not  to 
be  limited  within  the  bounds  of  human  comprehension  in  the 
operations  of  His  free  grace  toward  man,  and  yet  we  can  clearly 
perceive  the  scriptural  grounds  which  we  are  instructed  to  take 
if  we  would  come  to  Him  for  these  blessings. 

Wherever  and  whenever  the  sick  and  suffering  came  to  Jesus 
He  healed  them.  This  was  the  delight  of  His  loving  heart  to 
minister  this  heavenly  deliverance  unto  all.  Nothing  could  have 
afforded  Him  greater  joy  than  to  see  them  coming  from  all 
directions  with  their  sorrowful  hearts  and  sick  bodies,  and  pressing 
their  way  through  the  throng  to  either  touch  Him  or  have  His 
loving  hand  reach  out  and  touch  them.  It  must  have  been  painful 
to  His  heart  when  in  any  place  like  in  His  own  city  He  could  do 
no  mighty  work  because  of  the  unbelief  of  the  people.  If  He 
could  do  no  mighty  work  among  the  people  then  because 
of  their  unbelief.  He  is  for  the  same  reason  hindered 
from  doing  so  today.  Oh,  that  the  church  of  God  might  awaken 
to  this  solemn  fact.  Our  feeble  experiences  through  unbelief,  are 
so  often  made  the  standard  of  what  God  is  able  and  willing  to  do. 
We  should  rather  humbly  bow  before  Him  and  His  holy  word, 
confessing  our  unbelief,  and  then  with  a  death-grip  lay  hold  upon 
the  promises  until  they  are  fulfilled  in  us.    He  healed  all  that  were 


50  Din \ E  H E AL I y  a . 

sick,  when  they  came  to  Him  in  faith.  He  is  still  the  same  loving, 
compassionate  Christ  with  more  power  than  he  had  at  that  time, 
for  He  has  since  then  met  and  made  powerless  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  has  been  exalted  "far  above  all  principality 
and  power  and  might  and  dominion  and  every  name 
that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  in  that  which  is  to  come." 

One  great  error  taught  among  the  people  of  God  today,  is  that 
He  is  not  willing  to  heal  all  who  come  to  Him.  No  one  can 
exercise  perfect  faith  in  any  promise  unless  first  assured  that  the 
promise  is  for  him.  He  must  have  some  scriptural  ground  for  his 
faith  to  rest  upon  to  be  able  to  claim  a  definite  attainable  blessing. 
Unless  we  have  this  warrant  for  our  faith,  it  would  be  much  better 
not  to  ask  at  all  than  to  ask  God  for  something  contrary  to  His 
will.  The  question  of  His  will  must  first  be  settled.  There  is  no 
means  of  doing-  this  outside  of  His  word.  His  word  is  His  will. 
Jesus  Christ  is  that  spoken  word.  Every  deed  and  word  of  Jesus 
was  the  expression  of  that  divine  will.  It  has  not  been  revoked 
and  will  not  be,  until  the  close  of  this  gospel  dispensation.  There 
is  no  blessing  of  grace  more  plainly  promised  than  the  blessing 
of  healing. 

Why  not  then  step  out  on  His  word  and  receive  it  ?  If,  when 
every  known  condition  is  met,  the  answer  has  not  yet  come,  let 
us  not  begin  to  say  the  answer  is  not  for  me.  A  delay  is  not  a 
denial.  There  are  some  things  we  may  pray  for  that  ,are  not  in 
harmony  with  God's  will,  and  therefore  the  answer  must  be 
refused  by  our  dear  Father,  whose  mind  and  wisdom  is  infinitely 
greater  than  ours,  and  an  answer  would  not  be  for  the  best.  In 
every  such  case  it  is  our  perfect  right  to  learn  zvhy  our  petition  is 
not  granted. 

Every  seeker  for  any  blessing  that  is  not  plainly  promised  of 
God,  should  always  be  ready  at  any  time  to  withdraw  the  petition. 
No  such  proviso  need  be  made  when  asking  for  salvation  or  heal- 
ing, but  there  are  some  things  asked  for  at  times,  by  nearly  every 
child  of  God,  that  need  this  limit.  Moses  asked  to  enter  Canaan. 
God  could  not  grant  the  petition,  but  definitely  and  satisfactorily 
gave  Moses  the  reason  why.  Jesus  in  Gethsemane  asked  that  the 
cup  of  suffering  be  removed.  The  father  could  not  grant  His 
petition,  but  satisfied  the  heart  of  our  Savior,  and  sent  an  angel  to 
minister  unto  Him.  He  unmistakably  knew  why  His  petition  was 
not  granted.  Paul  sought  God  thrice  to  have  the  thorn  in  his 
fiesh  removed.     Gid  did  not  remove  it,  but  did  tell  him  whv.     ^Lct 


MINDANDFAITHCURE.  51 

US  not  say  that  this  thorn  was  some  sickness  or  disease,  because 
this  cannot  be  scripturally  proved.)  Nothing  else  than  the 
answered  prayer  or  the  reason  why  should  satisfy  us.  It  is  much 
easier  to  submit  to  an  unanswered  prayer  sometimes  than  it  is  to 
sumbit  ourselves  to  God  for  the  necessary  preparation  and  search- 
ing by  His  Spirit,  before  He  can  entrust  us  with  the  answer. 

Dear  sufferer,  search  the  scriptures  and  be  convinced  that  it  is 
the  will  of  God  to  save,  cleanse  and  heal  you,  and  then  acquaint 
yourself  with  the  necessary  conditions ;  meet  them  in  dead  earnest- 
ness, submitting  yourself  without  reserve  to  Him  for  every 
necessary  preparation  to  receive  the  blessing,  and  you  shall  have  the 
desire  of  your  heart.  He  is  just  as  ready  and  willing  to  heal  all 
who  come  to  Him  now  as  He  ever  has  been  in  the  past. 


THE  MAGIC  TOUCH. 


MIXD    AND    FAITH    CURE.  55 

THE  MAGIC  OF  TOUCH. 

(LUKE  8:46.) 

And  Jesus  said,  "Somebody  hath  touched  Me,  for  I  preceive 
that  virtue  is  gone  out  of  me." 

From  Capernaum,  in  Gahlee,  Jesus  has  crossed  the  sea  of 
Tiberius  to  Gadara  for  the  purposes  of  rest  and  recuperation.  But 
after  a  notable  miracle,  the  heaHng  of  two  furious  demoniacs 
and  the  destruction  of  the  herd  of  swine,  he  is  driven  out  of  the 
country  because  the  people  had  too  much  stock  in  hogs  to  take 
any  in  Christ. 

Again  in  Capernaum,  he  is  scarcely  landed  from  the  fishing 
boat  when  another  demand  is  made  upon  His  power  and  sym- 
pathy. One  of  the  local  dignitaries,  Jairus,  a  ruler  of  the  syna- 
gogue, is  in  sorrow ;  his  only  daughter  is  at  the  point  of  death, 
maybe  now  even  dead.  Will  He  come  and  heal  her  ?  Yes,  He  will 
come.  Never  was  there  an  appeal  of  expectant  suffering  disre- 
garded by  the  Savior. 

Though  consenting  to  go  and  starting  at  once,  He  does  not 
go  very  fast  and  lets  the  multitude  hinder  His  footsteps  in  a  most 
unaccountable  way,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  the 
last  throes  of  death  the  sweet  child  is  gasping. 

The  reason  is  soon  apparent,  for  on  His  way  to  the  performance 
of  His  seventh  miracle,  there  is  an  occurrence  which  makes  it 
the  eighth  of  His  ministry  when  He  gets  there. 

Ah,  the  Master's  footsteps  are  slow  on  the  way  to  the  rich 
ruler's  abode,  that  an  impoverished  stricken  woman  may  be  able 
to  overtake  Him.  She  who  for  twelve  years  had  been  wasting 
with  an  incurable  disease.  Her  little  patrimony  with  all  her 
earnings  had  been  spent  upon  her  disease  and  she  had  suffercl 
many  things  of  many  physicians,  only  to  impoverish  her  purse 
and  aggravate  her  diseased  condition. 

But,  after  all  her  disappointments  and  impoverishments  of 
her  time,  when  she  heard  of  the  return  of  Jesus,  ceremonially 
unclean  as  she  was  by  reason  of  her  infirmity,  she  determined  to 
brave  everything  and  go  to  Him ;  for  she  said  within  herself,  'Tf 
I  may  but  touch  His  clothes  I  shall  be  made  whole."  Longing 
for  health  and  inspired  by  this  faith,  she  wended  her  way  through 
the  multitude,  now  swayed  this  way  and  that,  but  ever  gaining 


56  DIVINE    HEALING. 

upon  the  tardy  motion  of  the  waiting  Savior.  True,  a  ruler's 
daughter  was  dead  and  the  mourners  waiHng,  but  her  restoration 
must  wait  upon  the  faith  of  this  daughter  of  sorrow.  She  touched 
Him  with  unfaltering  faith.  Immediately  when  the  material  con- 
nection was  made  that  her  faith  had  claimed  she  was  healed  and 
knew  it  for  herself.  And  shall  she  speed  away  with  her  recovered 
strength  and  never  give  glory  to  Him  who  hath  healed  her  with 
testimony.  No,  the  Master  is  too  tender  of  His  shrinking  ones  to 
let  them  treat  Him  so,  and  He  Himself  institutes  the  inquiry  as 
to  who  hath  touched  Him.  How  strange  the  query.  Thronged 
by  the  multitude  there  were  touches  and  touches.  Scores  had 
touched  Him  and  received  nothing,  and  He  had  felt 
nothing,  but  there  had  been  one  simple,  single  touch 
from  a  soul  in  need  with  a  hand  of  intelligent  faith 
to  which  healing  virtue  had  responded.  Ah,  there  is  magic  in  the 
touch  of  the  right  kind. 

What  a  moment  for  the  trembling  penitent  when  Jesus  turned 
and  said,  "  Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort."  Ah,  the  tenderness 
of  His  nature  is  shown  in  the  very  term  which  he  employs.  Be 
of  good  comfort.  Her  Healer  is  her  Comforter.  There  are  those 
who  relieve  needs,  but  leave  one  colder  for  the  contact. 

She  only  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment 

As  to  His  side  she  stole. 
Amid  the  crowd  that  gathered  round  Him, 

And  straightway  she  was  whole. 

She  came  in  fear  and  trembling  before  Him ; 

She  knew  her  Lord  had  come. 
She  felt  that  from  Him  virtue  had  healed  her, 

The  mighty  deed  was  done. 

He  turned  with  ''daughter,  be  of  good  comfort, 

Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole," 
And  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding. 

With  gladness  filled  her  soul. 

We  have  but  to  think  of  the  myriads  who  have  been  delivered 
from  all  sorts  of  diseases  through  the  power  and  virtue  of  His 
touch,  and  we  shall  joyfully  put  ourselves  in  His  hands.  We 
trust  Him,  and  sin  dies ;  we  love  Him,  and  grace  lives ;  we  wait 
for  Him,  and  grace  is  strengthened;  we  see  Him  as  He  is,  and 
grace  is  perfected  forever. 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CV  RE  .  57 

It  is  the  privilege  of  every  child  of  God  in  Christ  to  possess 
every  redemption  blessing,  but  every  such  blessing  is  measured  out 
to  us  according  to  our  faith.  In  simpler  words,  Jesus  Christ  is  to 
us  just  what  we  take  Him  for.  He  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abund- 
antly above  all  that  we  ask  or  think,  irrespective  of  our  desires,  but 
in  His  redemption  plan  He  does  not  do  this.  He  only  does,  in  and 
for  us  "according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us,"  which  power 
is  the  power  of  faith.  Every  blessing  is  in  itself  far  beyond  our 
comprehension  or  power  of  expression,  even  after  we  have  it  in 
our  possession.  It  is  much  more  than  we  ask  for,  but  it  cannot 
be  obtained  without  the  asking,  and  the  asking  must  be  a  definite 
act  of  faith.  Faith  is  the  golden  key  that  God  puts  into  the  hand 
of  every  obedient  person  who  comes  to  him.  With  it  the  royal 
storehouse  of  heavenly  treasures  may  be  unlocked,  and  we  may 
help  ourselves  to  all  we  can  make  use  of  for  our  highest  good  and 
His  glory. 

As  we  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  we  shall 
by  the  revelation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  know  how  to  obtain  the 
sacred  treasures  within  the  inner  court,  the  second  veil.  The 
capacity  to  obtain  and  retain  will  increase  in  proportion  with  the 
divinely  directed  use  of  this  golden  key,  which  will  surely  give 
access  to  all  of  Christ  ''in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge." 

"A  certain  woman,  which  had  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years, 
and  had  suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent 
all  she  had,  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse,  when 
she  heard  of  Jesus,  came  in  the  press  behind,  and  touched  His  gar- 
ment. For  she  said,  If  I  may  touch  but  His  clothes,  I  shall  be 
whole.  And  straightway  the  fountain  of  her  blood  was  dried  up ; 
and  she  felt  in  her  body  that  she  was  healed  of  that  plague.  And 
Jesus,  immediately  knowing  in  himself  that  virtue  had  gone  out 
of  Him,  turned  about  in  the  press,  and  said.  Who  touched  my 
clothes?  And  His  disciples  said  unto  him.  Thou  seest  the  multi- 
tude thronging  thee,  and  sayest  Thou,  Who  touched  Me  ?  And  He 
looked  round  about  to  see  her  who  had  done  this  thing.  But  the 
woman  fearing  and  trembling,  knowing  what  was  done  for  her, 
came  and  fell  down  before  Him,  and  told  Him  all  the  truth.  And 
He  said  unto  her.  Daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole ;  go  in 
peace,  and  be  whole  of  thy  plague." — Mark  e5  :25-84. 

For  twelve  long  years  this  poor  sufferer  had  hoped  for  help 
from  earthly  physicians.     She  had   not  ceased  with  trying  one 


58  DIVINE    HEALING. 

physician,  but  had  employed  many,  who  had  not  only  exhausted 
their  medical  skill  but  perhaps  had  used  surgery,  for  "she  had 
suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,"  but  gradually  her  life 
forces  were  ebbing  away,  and  her  financial  resources  were  propor- 
tionately decreasing,  until  all  her  living  was  gone,  and  but  a  small 
supply  of  life  remained.  She  was  left  utterly  helpless  and  hopeless, 
and  probably  had  heard  but  little  of  Jesus  and  God's  way  of  heal- 
ing, up  to  this  time,  but  she  had  a  heart  to  believe.  Her  faith  was 
beyond  the  intellectual ;  it  was  in  her  heart.  She  heard  of  Jesus  as 
many  others  had.  The  curious  throng  that  was  gathered  around 
Him  had  all  heard  of  Him,  and  were  very  anxious  to  see  Him  do 
some  miracle — some  perhaps  simply  through  idle  curiosity,  who 
had  evil  hearts  of  unbelief ;  and  others  to  learn  more  about  Him 
and  be  convinced  that  He  had  power  to  heal.  But  this  woman 
believed  that  He  was  both  able  and  willing.  She  had  neither  a 
curiosity  to  be  gratified  nor  a  mere  desire  for  experiment,  as  so 
many  have  today.  She  was  not  a  rebellious  sinner,  but  had  a 
heart  obedient  toward  God,  who  when  she  had  heard  of  Jesus  be- 
lieved in  Him. 

How  did  she  happen  to  have  such  faith  ?  She  did  not  happen 
to  have  it.  She  had  it  because  she  had  an  obedient  and  willing 
heart.  Jesus  told  the  chief  priests  and  elders  (Matt.  21 :32.)  how 
they  could  have  believed  on  John,  but  they  would  not  repent  that 
they  might  believe.  This  woman  had  met  the  conditions  for  faith. 
She  was  on  believing  ground,  and  therefore  had  faith  to  be  healed. 
Jesus  did  not  heal  her,  nor  any  one  else,  unconditionally.  There 
may  be  instances  in  which  we  may  unconsciously  have  met  the 
conditions  of  faith,  but  these  must,  nevertheless,  be  met.  There 
may  be  instances  in  which  others  may  have  a  great  measure  of 
faith  for  us,  and  for  the  time  secure  the  blessing  of  healing  for 
us,  but  sooner  or  later,  where  we  are  individually  responsible,  we 
must  have  faith  for  ourselves. 

This  woman  had  persistent  faith,  the  only  kind  that  ever  ac- 
complishes anything,  or  receives  blessings  from  God  ;  the  only  kind 
that  God  can  honor. 


SHE  ACTED  HER  FAITH. 

There  was  no  feeling  healed,  or  feeling  to  see  if  she  was  healed 
in  this  part  of  her  experience.     Her  actions  were  actions  of  faith. 


MIND    AXD    FAITH    CURE.  59 

Very  strange,  no  doubt,  to  the  unbelieving  spectators !  Perhaps 
as  strange  as  the  actions  of  the  bHnd  man,  who  cried  out  to  the  Son 
of  David  for  mercy  as  He  passed  by.  An  act  of  faith  is  always  a 
strange  act  of  unbelievers,  and  usually  misunderstood  by  our  breth- 
ren, but  faith  is  blind  to  all  but  its  object,  and  with  unswerving 
purpose  keeps  its  course  like  the  ship  with  her  mighty  engines 
plowing  her  way  through  the  billows,  wind,  and  tide.  Unheeding 
the  ridicule  or  opinions  of  men,  faith  moves  out  with  reckless  indif- 
ference to  its  surroundings.  The  act  of  faith  must  necessarily  sep- 
arate and  single  us  out  from  those  who  cannot  act  in  harmony 
with  us.  Others  cannot  see  our  object,  and  are  almost  certain  to 
see  the  opposite — everything  that  is  a  hindrance  to  faith.  In  the 
material  and  sense  world  everything  is  by  sight,  but  in  the  faith 
world  we  ''walk  not  by  sight,"  but  like  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  and 
all  those  whose  names  have  been  'singled  out  as  God's  faithful 
children,  we  must  endure  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible  until  every 
act  shall  be  rewarded  by  Him  who  hath  promised. 

The  woman  in  her  struggles  did  not  fail,  although  she  meant 
to  touch  Him  perhaps  differently  from  what  she  succeeded.  She 
aimed  to  touch  at  least  his  clothes,  but  she  accomplished  her  object 
quite  imperfectly  and  touched  but  the  hem  of  His  garment,  which 
was  reached  by  her  last  desperate  stretch.  But  it  was  an  act  of 
faith,  and  she  was  not  disappointed  in  the  result  of  that  act,  even 
though  the  execution  on  her  part  was  not  altogether  perfect.  Her 
most  discouraging  moment  was  just  before  the  touch,  but  her  faith 
was  equal  to  the  trial.  Her  physical  feeling  must  have  been 
intensely  discouraging  in  such  a  struggle,  but  faith,  not  feeling, 
was  the  prompting  motive  of  her  effort,  and  now  when  faith  had 
reached  its  object,  the  blessing  came.  The  healing  virtue  from  the 
body  of  Jesus  was  felt.  He  turned  about  to  see  who  it  was  who 
had  touched  Him  with  this  touch  of  faith. 


"SOMEBODY  HATH  TOUCHED  ME," 

He  said,  as  the  disciples  tried  to  explain  to  Him  that  there  were 
many  thronging  Him  and  touching  Him  all  around ;  but  these 
touches  were  only  the  ordinary  contact  with  the  people.  They  did 
not  attract  His  attention,  nor  obtain  any  virtue  from  Him,  but  here 
was  a  touch  of  faith  which  thrilled  His  very  soul  and  body.  Faith 
produced  the  feeling  in  the  body  of  the  woman ;  for 


60  DIVINE    HEALING 


"SHE  FELT  IN  HER  BODY  THAT  SHE  WAS  HEALED," 

but  not  until  she  had  first  accompHshed  the  act  of  faith.  Had  she 
said  she  would  not  believe  until  she  felt  healed,  she  would  never 
have  received  it,  and  had  she  believed  she  had  it  before  putting 
forth  the  act  of  faith,  she  would  never  have  received  it.  Faith  can 
hold  the  blessing  in  the  promise  and  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  its 
fulfillment,  but  the  fulfillment  will  never  be  realized  until  the  act 
of  faith  is  applied  to  the  promise. 

Jesus  looked  upon  her  with  approval  and  said,  "Daughter,  be  of 
good  comfort,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole ;  go  in  peace,  and  be 
whole  of  thy  plague."  What  comfort  and  peace  must  have  filled 
her  heart  as  she  realized  that  her  body  was  healed  of  its  affliction, 
and  the  smile  of  heaven  was  upon  her.  She  was  healed,  and  now 
Jesus  said  to  her,  "Be  whole,"  which  is  equivalent  to  saying,  "Keep 
healed."  She  had  the  obtaining  faith,  and  now,  through  her  con- 
fession and  obedience,  she  had  the  promise  of  retaining  faith. 
Some  have  lost  their  healing  through  a  lack  of  complying  with 
these  conditions.  Jesus  would  have  us  confess  Him  before  men. 
He  would  have  us  tell  the  world  how  great  things  the  Lord  hath 
done  for  us,  and  had  compassion  on  us.    Mark  5  :19. 


GOD'S  COVENANT  WITH  ISRAEL. 

Many  of  us  are  inclined  to  pass  lightly  by  the  days  of  the 
patriarchs  and  prophets  in  the  study  of  divine  healing,  and  thus  fail 
to  obtain  the  proper  knowledge  of  its  true  foundation.  The  seed 
of  the  woman  was  to  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent,  and  thus  the 
blessings  of  redemption  were  to  come  upon  the  fallen  race  of 
Adam.  The  curse  of  sin  and  all  its  deathly  power  had  now  entered 
into  the  world,  and  the  spiritual,  physical,  and  moral  nature  of 
man  had  fallen  under  its  baneful  sway.  This  lamentable  condition 
at  once  called  for  a  provision  of  mercy  from  God.  The  remedy 
was  promised,  not  only  at  the  time  of  the  fall,  but  when  Abraham 
was  called  to  go  out,  and  become  an  example  of  faith  to  the  world, 
we  again  see  the  promise  of  the  seed,  through  whom  all  the 
families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  Because  of  the  faith  of 
Abraham,  the  favor  of  God  at  once  rested  upon  him,  and  the  fore- 
shadowings  of  redemption  were  clearly  seen.     He  had  the  blessed 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  61 

privilege  of  communion  with  God  in  prayer,  through  which 
many  favors  were  obtained,  not  only  for  himself  but  for  others. 

Among  these  blessings  we  find  divine  healing.  Abimelech  was 
in  need  of  help  in  this  respect.  "Abraham  prayed  unto  God,  and 
God  healed  Abimelech."  But  this  instance,  although  by  no 
means  an  unimportant  one,  will,  under  the  present  consideration, 
only  serve  as  an  introduction  to  this  subject  of  divine  healing  in 
the  covenant  of  God  with  Israel.  The  children  of  Abraham, 
according  to  the  word  of  God,  spent  four  hundred  years  in 
Egyptian  slavery.  Although  this  was  an  experience  of  great 
sorrow  to  them,  and  their  years  of  suffering  under  the  hand  of 
a  merciless  tyrant,  under  the  burdens  of  incessant  toil  and  extreme 
hardship,  were  anything  but  conducive  to  health  ;  we  might  rightly 
judge  that  their  circumstances  as  a  whole  were  such  as  to  produce 
the  exact  opposite.  They  no  doubt  often  fell,  and  many  died  under 
this  inhuman  treatment,  but  we  have  no  history  to  show  us  that  any 
of  them  died  under  the  power  of  Egyptian  disease.  Generations 
of  them  passed  away,  according  to  the  decree  of  God,  "Unto  dust 
shalt  thou  return,"  but  the  divine  hand  of  protection  was  upon 
them.  Physical  health  was  a  legacy  of  the  Abrahamic  descendants, 
and  God  in  his  mercy  bestowed  upon  them  this  blessing  through 
these  dark  years  of  bondage.  There  is  one  instance  in  their 
Egyptian  history  that  we  will  notice  here,  which  might  be  con- 
sidered by  some  as  an  exception. 

It  was  said  of  the  patriarch  Jacob,  that  Joseph  heard  that  he 
was  sick,  but  from  what  has  already  been  shown  of  the  favor  of 
health,  and  what  will  be  proved  further  on  with  reference  to  this 
matter,  as  well  as  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word  from  which 
the  word  sick  is  translated,  we  can  truthfully  affirm  that  this  was 
nothing  but  the  ordinary  weakness  of  old  age.  It  is  also  said  of 
Jacob,  that  when  he  was  dying  he  worshiped,  leaning  upon  the 
top  of  his  staff.  Many  other  instances  in  connection  with  his 
death  indicate  what  has  been  stated.  The  testimony  of  the  mid- 
wives  to  King  Pharaoh,  concerning  the  Hebrew  women  in  child- 
birth, adds  much  to  prove  the  fact  of  special  physical  blessings 
upon  them.    They  were  "lively  and  not  as  the  Egyptian  women. ' 

The  Psalmist  in  his  recapitulation  of  the  dealings  of  God  with 
His  people,  says  (Ps.  105:37),  "He  brought  them  forth  also  with 
silver  and  gold :  and  there  was  not  one  feeble  person  among  their 
tribes."  When  we  consider  the  immense  number  of  two  and  one- 
half  millions  of  men,  women  and  children  in  this  company,  and 


62  DIV  IN  E     H  E  ALIN  G  . 

not  a  feeble  infant,  nor  aged  one  among  them,  we  can  but  feel 
hushed  in  wonder  and  admiration,  and  ascribe  this  astounding 
fact  to  the  purpose  and  design  of  Jehovah  to  teach  us  His  will  and 
power  to  heal  and  protect  from  disease  those  who  are  His. 

Why  should  it  not  be  so?  How  could  it  be  otherwise  in  the 
heart  of  our  glorious  Maker,  whose  inheritance  is  His  people  ?  But 
there  need  be  no  questioning  here ;  we  will  pass  on  in  the  history 
of  this  people,  to  their  remarkable  deliverance  through  the  Red 
Sea,  into  the  wilderness  of  Shur  to  the  waters  of  Marah.  Here 
again  we  see  a  divine  provision  for  their  health.  The  bitter  waters 
were  made  sweet,  and  now  we  have  reached  what  has  long  before 
been  manifested  toward  them,  unconditionally  perhaps  in  a  meas- 
ure, but  now  enacted  into  a  statue  and  ordinance  upon  definite 
conditions,  followed  by  the  blessed  covenant  of  the  promise  of 
healing. 

'*If  thou  wilt  diligently  barken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  and  wilt  do  that  which  is  right  in  His  sight,  and  wilt  give  ear 
to  his  commandments,  and  keep  all  his  statutes,  I  will  put  none  of 
these  diseases  upon  thee,  which  I  have  brought  upon  the  Egyptians 
for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee." — Ex.  15  :26.  Here  we 
see  the  conditions  of  implicit  obedience,  without  which  none  need 
expect  God  to  keep  His  promise.  This  makes  every  one  respon- 
sible.    Obedience  to  God  means  health  to  Israel. 

We  have  no  scriptural  evidence  that  this  covenant  with  an\ 
of  its  conditions  has  ever  been  revoked,  but  on  the  other  hand, 
there  is  much  to  prove  its  perpetuity.  In  their  Egyptian  life  they 
had  been  servants  of  men,  and  God  did  not  require  of  them  the 
strict  obedience  that  He  enjoins  upon  them  now.  From  this 
time  ihey  are  to  serve  none  but  God.  This  is  strongly  emphasized 
in  a  reassurance  of  this  blessing  of  health.  Ex.  23  :20,  25.  "And  ye 
shall  serve  the  Lord  your  God.''  No  idol  of  Egypt  or  Canaan  could 
have  a  share  in  their  worship,  and  none  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land  had  any  right  to  their  service.  Obedience  and  service  to  God 
was  their  whole  duty.  The  promise  further  reads,  "And  He. 
shall  bless  thy  bread  and  thy  water ;  and  I  will  take  sickness  awa\ 
from  the  midst  of  thee.'  Consider  well  the  magnitude  of  this 
double  promise — food  and  health.  As  the  water  of  Marah  wa<^ 
blessed,  so  He  promises  to  continue  the  same.  The  supply  of 
their  temporal  needs  was  a  responsibility  that  God  had  taken  upon 
Himself.  The  promise  was  enough.  Their  part  was  to  serve  God. 
His  part  was  to  support  and  protect  them. 


MIXD    A^D    FAITH    CURE.  63 

He  did  not  promise  to  bless  everything  they  might  desire  to 
eat  and  drink.  He  did  not  bless  the  flesh  they  lusted  after  in  the 
wilderness,  although  because  of  their  continual  murmurings  He 
sent  it  to  them.  So  it  is  in  the  gospel  dispensation;  there  are 
many  who  profess  to  love  God,  whose  appetites  are  depraved. 
They  crave  for  food  and  drink  such  things  as  God  will  not  bless. 
The  instructions  to  Noah  concerning  things  clean  and  unclean 
were  not  to  be  ignored  by  Israel.  No  one  could  expect  God  to 
bless  anything  outside  these  limits,  neither  can  we  consistently 
expect  Him  to  bless  anything  to  us  for  food  that  is  unclean  or  un- 
healthful.  While  we  are  not  under  the  restrictions  of  the  law 
in  this  matter,  yet  we  have  no  license  to  indulge  any  depraved 
or  abnormal  appetite.  Let  all  apply  to  the  cleansing  blood  of 
Christ  for  the  removal  of  all  such  appetites,  and  then  only  eat 
and  drink  such  things  as  are  nourishing  and  wholesome.  This  is 
well  worth  the  thoughtful  and  prayerful  consideration  of  all.  We 
are  not  restricted  to  any  special  diet,  perhaps,  but  if  we  want 
God's  blessings  upon  our  food,  and  also  want  Him  to  take  sickness 
away  from  the  midst  of  us,  we  must  carefully  follow  the  directions 
of  His  counsel. 

We  have  the  promise  (1  Tim.  4:5)  that  our  food  will  be 
sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer.  This  is  sufficient 
authority  upon  the  subject,  as  to  what  should  be  received.  Some 
very  unwisely  affirm  that  we  have  the  right  to  eat  whatsoever  is 
set  before  us,  quoting  1  Cor.  10  :27,  but  if  this  reference  and  its 
context  are  carefully  considered,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  apostle 
refers  to  food  offered  to  idols,  and  that  to  us  an  idol  is  nothing  in 
the  world.  Under  certain  circumstances  we  are  free  to  eat  food 
which  has  been  offered  to  idols,  but  it  is  also  clearly  stated  (verse 
28)  that  under  other  circumstances  we  are  forbidden  to  eat  such 
food.  There  is  nothing  in  God's  word  to  sanction  an  indiscrimin- 
ate eating  of  every  kind  of  food  that  is  prepared.  The  word  of 
God  and  prayer,  as  well  as  good  judgment,  should  be  our 
guide  as  to  what  we  eat  and  drink. 

The  promise  of  God  is  still  sure  to  His  people,  'T  will  bless  thy 
bread  and  thy  water,"  but  this  cannot  be  perverted  into  an  extreme 
interpretation  that  would  cover  the  scope  of  all  the  injurious,  abom- 
inable, and  disease-breeding  stuff  that  enters  into  the  diet  of  our 
modern  and  depraved  epicureans.  God  will  not  heal  such  sinners. 
They  may  expect,  not  only  all  of  the  diseases  of  Egypt,  but  every 
other  malady  of  the  latest  invention  of  Satan,  to  come  upon  them 


64  DIVINEHEALING. 

until  they  are  consumed.  "Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." — 1  Cor.  10:31. 
Following  carefully  this  blessed  instruction,  we  may  claim  today 
the  same  as  when  God  made  it,  the  promise :  ''I  will  take  sickness 
away  from  the  midst  of  thee."  Israel  was  carefully  warned  of  the 
results  of  disobedience.  It  was  necessary  that  they  should  have 
repeated  assurances  of  the  consequences,  both  of  obedience  and 
disobedience. 

Following  on  into  Deut.  7  :15,  we  have  the  promise  again,  "And 
the  Lord  will  take  away  from  thee  all  sicknesses."  In  Deut.28  :58,1>1 
we  find  another  awful  warning:  ''Also  every  sickness,  and  every 
plague,  which  is  not  written  in  the  book  of  this  law,  them  will  the 
Lord  bring  upon  thee,  until  thou  be  destroyed." — Ver.  61.  In  the 
marginal  reference  to  this  verse  we  find  an  expression  throwing 
some  light  upon  the  source  of  these  diseases,  which  adds  to  many 
scriptural  proofs  that  they  all  ascend  from  the  pit  of  destruction. 
It  is  only  by  the  permission  of  God  that  they  come  upon  man ;  in 
the  majority  of  cases  (if  not  all)  as  a  punishment  for  disobedience. 
If  there  are  any  exceptions  to  this  rule  in  this  gospel  dispensation, 
we  shall  be  glad  to  let  such  be  fully  persuaded  in  their  own  minds 
as  to  the  cause  of  their  affliction. 

At  the  dedication  of  the  temple  in  the  prayer  of  Solomon 
(2  Chron.  6:28-31)  we  see  a  provision  for  sickness,  which  is  ac- 
cording to  the  health  covenant.  The  life  and  death  of  Moses  is  a 
beautiful  example  of  the  divine  blessings  of  this  covenant.  In  this 
case  we  have  the  extraordinary  experience  of  protection  from  the 
decline  of  old  age.  Crowded  with  the  many  responsibilities  of  his 
important  position,  the  leader  of  that  great  host  through  forty 
years  of  wilderness  life,  no  ordinary  person  could  have  survived ; 
but  when  God  was  through  with  Moses  in  this  mortal  sphere,  he 
was  still  in  the  vigor  of  perfect  health.  It  could  not  be  imagined 
that  he  died  of  disease,  for  we  read  that  he  "was  an  hundred  and 
twenty  years  old  when  he  died ;  his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural 
force  abated." — Deut.  34  :7. 

We  have  another  striking  example  of  the  same  blessing  in  the 
testimony  of  faithful  old  Caleb.  He  had  a  heart  to  believe  God. 
At  Kadesh  Barnea  the  whole  camp  of  Israel  rose  up  in  rebellion 
and  withstood  Caleb  and  Joshua,  and  through  unbelief  forfeited 
their  right  to  enter  Canaan,  but  Caleb  wholly  followed  the  Lord, 
and  he  was  assured  by  divine  promise  that  he  should  possess  the 
land  where  previously  his  feet  had  trodden  as  a  spy.     He  also 


MIND    A  N  D    F  AIT  H    CU  RE  .  65 

passed  through  the  forty  years  of  wilderness  journey,  but  the 
blessing  of  the  health  covenant  was  upon  him.  Forty-five  years 
later  when  Canaan  had  been  reached,  and  a  number  of  the 
enemies  driven  out,  a  stalwart,  vigorous  old  man  speaks  to  Joshua, 
and  reminds  him  of  the  promise  that  God  had  made  through 
Moses  concerning  himself,  *'And  now,"  says  Caleb,  "behold,  the 
Lord  hath  kept  me  alive,  as  He  said,  these  forty  and  five  years, 
even  since  the  Lord  spake  this  word  unto  Moses,  while  the  child- 
ren of  Israel  wandered  in  the  wilderness :  and  now,  lo,  I  am  this 
day  four  score  and  five  years  old.  As  yet,  I  am  as  strong  this  day 
as  I  was  in  the  day  that  Moses  sent  me :  as  my  strength  was  then, 
even  so  is  my  strength  now,  for  war,  both  to  go  out,  and  to  come 
in."— Josh.   14:10,   11. 

This  faithful  servant  was  true  to  God,  and  therefore  obtained 
the  promise.  Doubtless  through  long  years  of  hardships,  as  he 
beheld  on  his  right  hand  and  on  his  left,  his  brethren  fall  from 
the  ranks  because  of  disobedience,  he  had  many  an  occasion 
to  test  the  promise :  'T  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee,"  but  here 
he  stands  now,  a  living  monument  of  the  truth  of  that  covenant. 
Thank  God,  it  has  not  been  changed,  though  more  than  three 
thousand  years  have  passed  and  many  generations  have  come 
and  gone,  who  have  proved  the  faithfulness  of  Jehovah  Rophi. 

We  see  another  occasion  of  this  wonderful  promise  held  up 
before  the  people,  in  Isa.  58 :8.  They  had  forsaken  the  Lord 
and  through  many  outward  demonstrations  of  penance  for  their 
sins  were  making  their  attempts  to  get  back  to  God.  The  prophet 
points  them  to  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  God  and 
says,  "Then  shall  thy  light  break  forth  as  the  morning,  and  thine 
health  shall  spring  forth  speedily."  Nothing  could  take  the 
place  of  true  obedience,  which  is  the  God-appointed  means  of 
obtaining  His  favor. 

David  had  experiences  of  sickness  and  healing.  In  Psalm  6  :2 
he  prays,  "Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord  ;  for  I  am  weak :  O  Lord, 
heal  me ;  for  my  bones  are  vexed."  Again,  we  hear  him  rejoice  in 
answered  prayer.  "I  will  extol  thee,  O  Lord,  for  thou  has  lifted 
me  up,  and  hast  not  made  my  foes  to  rejoice  over  me.  O  Lord 
my  God,  I  cried  unto  thee,  and  thou  hast  healed  me." — Ps  30  :1,  2. 
And  again  (Ps.  103  :2,  3),  "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget 
not  all  His  benefits  :  who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities  ;  who  healeth 
all  thy  diseases."  He  also  testifies  of  the  blessings  of  healing  upon 
the  people.  "He  sent  His  word,  and  healed  them,  and  delivered 
them  from  their  destructions." — Ps.  107  :20. 


^j6  divine  healing. 

During  the  reign  of  King  Hezekiah,  after  the  people  had 
been  in  an  idolatrous  condition  for  a  long  period  under  preceding 
rulers,  they  repented  and  came  back  to  God.  The  king  prayed 
for  them,  and  "the  Lord  barkened  to  Hezekiah,  and  healed  the 
people."— 2  Chron.  30  :20. 

Hezekiah's  personal  experience  also  bears  testimony  of  the 
glorious  provision  of  God's  healing  favor.  Although  the  word 
of  God  had  gone  forth  that  he  should  die  and  not  live,  the  suffer- 
ing ruler  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  with  great  weeping 
presented  his  case  to  the  Healer  of  his  people.  He  could  not  come 
Avith  any  personal  merit,  but  he  had  a  clear  conscience,  and 
to  the  best  of  his  ability  had  walked  before  God  with  a  perfect 
heart,  and  had  done  that  which  was  right.  He  had  fulfilled  all  the 
conditions  of  the  health  covenant,  and  had  a  perfect  right  now  to 
expect  God  to  be  his  healer.  This  might  be  called  a  test  case. 
Here  was  a  faithful  servant  of  God  who  was  sick  unto  death. 
His  condition  was  indeed  a  perplexing  one.  As  he  felt  himself 
sinking  lower  and  lower,  and  the  icy  hand  of  death  grasping 
tightly  upon  him,  claiming  him  for  his  victim,  he  must  have  had 
serious  thoughts  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  words  of  the  covenant 
which  God  had  made  to  Israel,  'T  am  the  Lord  that  healeth 
thee."  And  now  the  sad  announcement  of  his  immediate  death 
is  made  by  the  messenger  of  God. 

Oh,  what  thoughts  of  anxiety  must  have  passed  through  his 
mind.  Can  it  be  possible?  He  who  had  granted  so  many  signal 
evidences  of  His  tender  care,  and  healed  all  in  the  past  who  lived  in 
obedience  to  His  word ;  will  He  now  in  this  sad  hour  of  extreme 
need  forsake  one  who  has  done  all  that  was  required  of  him  ?  No. 
That  word,  which  is  much  more  sure  than  the  foundations  of  the 
heavens,  must  be  fulfilled.  As  the  king  pours  out  his  heart  to  Him 
whose  eyes  are  over  the  righteous  and  whose  ears  are  open  to 
their  prayers,  the  message  comes  to  him  from  the  prophet,  '  I  have 
heard  thy  prayer,  I  have  seen  thy  tears :  behold,  I  will  heal  thee ; 
.  .  .  and  I  will  add  unto  thy  days  fifteen  years."  Although 
severely  tested,  he  received  more  perhaps  than  he  had  asked. 
Praise  God,  this  is  according  to  His  mercy.  The  covenant  He 
made  with  His  people  cannot  be  broken.  The  examples  of  this 
are  sufficient. 

We  will  not  occupy  the  space  here  for  more  than  a  passing 
notice  of  Job  in  his  long  trial  of  sickness,  his  wonderful  deliver- 
ance from  this  captivity,  upon  praying  for  his  friends,  and  his 
triumphant  death,  being  old  and  full  of  days. 


M  I  N  D    AN  D    FAIT  H    CUBE  .  67 

Thus  we  clearly  perceive  by  all  that  God  hath  wrought  upon 
His  people  during  this  period  of  history  that  healing  was  His 
purpose  and  good-will  from  the  beginning.  No  thoughtful  mind 
upon  this  subject  could  for  a  moment  admit  that  God  is  any  the 
less  concerned  in  the  health  of  His  obedient  people  in  this  dispen- 
sation of  more  perfect  and  glorious  spiritual  blessings.  While 
healing  produces  its  effects  directly  upon  the  physical  man,  it  is 
strictly  a  spiritual  blessing,  and  is  never  received  without  precious 
spiritual  manifestations.  Therefore,  if  we  had  no  other  evidence 
of  the  will  of  God  toward  His  people  than  that  of  the  days  before 
Christ,  we  have  sufficient  and  in  every  sickness  could  securely 
repose  upon  the  promise  of  God  to  Israel,  'T  am  the  Lord  that 
healeth  thee;"  for  "if  ye  be  Christ's  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed, 
and  heirs  according  to  the  promise." — Gal.  3  :29. 


HEALTH, 
J4AN1VERS,Y01CE, 
;#TAST1NG,5MELLING, 
HEARING.  FEELING. 
SEEING,  DIGESTION 
GOD,  CHRIST,  RELIGION, 
FAMILY,  PRAYER,  GRACE, 
LOVE,  INHERITANCE,TRUTH 
SPIRIT,  MANHOOD,  INTELLIGENCE, 
GOOD  STRENGTH,  RIGHT,  GOODNESvS, 
GENTLENESS, JOY,  FAITH,  MEEKNESS. 
TEMPERANCE,  KINDNESS,  BROTHERi:ir  LO 
HOPE    CHARITY,    PEACE  OF  MIND,  HAPPI 

CHARACTER,  HARMONY,  LOVING 
iEMENT,  WISDOM,  KNOWLEDGE.     ^ 
''ELLOWSHIP,    LIBERTY, 
HUMIUTY, 
L-TATH 


'THOU  PREPARKST  A  TABLE  BEFORE  ME  " 


M  IN  D    AN  D    FAITH    CURE  .  71 

THOU   PREPAREST   A   TABLE   BEFORE  ME   IN   THE 
PRESENCE  OF  MINE  ENEMIES. 

(psA.   23:5.) 

Reader,  God  has  set  a  table  before  you  and  asks  you  to  help 
yourself.  Do  you  do  it?  If  you  have  lost  a  part  of  your  inherit- 
ance, stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself.  The  table  is 
loaded  down  with  the  very  best  things  that  heaven  can  afford.  You 
will  find  on  that  table  the  very  things  that  you  have  lost.  Have 
you  lost  Christ  ?    If  so,  stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself. 

Tell  me  where  you  lost  the  company  of  Christ,  and  I  will  tell 
you  the  most  likely  place  to  find  Him.  Have  you  lost  Christ  in 
the  closet  by  restraining  prayer?  Then  it  is  there  you  must 
seek  and  find  Him.  Did  you  lose  Christ  by  sin?  You  will 
find  Christ  in  no  other  way  but  by  the  giv^ing  up  of  the  sin  and 
seeking  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  mortify  the  member  in  which  the  lust 
doth  dwell.  Did  you  lose  Christ  by  neglecting  the  scriptures  ?  You 
must  find  Christ  in  the  scriptures.  It  is  a  true  proverb,  "Look  for 
a  thing  where  you  dropped  it ;  it  is  there."  So  look  for  Christ  where 
you  lost  Him,  for  He  has  not  gone  away. 

If  you  have  lost  Christ,  stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  your- 
self. You  will  find  Christ  in  the  midst  of  the  table  surrounded 
by  all  the  graces  and  blessings  that  God  can  bestow  on  His  child- 
ren. You  inherited  from  your  creation  health,  beauty,  strength, 
life,  truth,  God,  love,  mind,  spirit,  soul,  intelligence,  good,  right. 
Have  you  lost  any  of  your  inheritance  ?  If  so,  stretch  forth  your 
hand  and  help  yourself.  You  inherited  a  sound  mind;  a  good 
memory ;  a  good  stomach ;  good  digestion ;  a  good,  pure  heart ; 
good  kidneys ;  good  bladder ;  good  eyes ;  good  ears ;  good,  pure 
undefiled  mouth;  a  good,  healthy  body.  Have  you  lost  any  ot 
this  inheritance?  If  so,  stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself. 
The  table  is  loaded  down  with  all  these  things  you  have  lost. 
Have  you  lost  family  prayer  ?  Have  you  lost  grace  and  the  thanks 
you  used  to  offer  God  before  partaking  of  the  food  that  He  has  so 
bountifully  supplied  you?  Have  you  lost  that  spiritual  power 
that  you  once  had  that  enabled  you  to  visit  the  sick  and  to  minister 
to  the  wants  of  the  widows  and  orphans,  and  not  forget  that  poor 
widow  upon  the  hill,  that  is  sick  nigh  unto  death,  with  a  lot  of 


72  DIVINE    HEALING. 

little  children  almost  naked,  starving  and  freezing,  no  fuel  to 
warm  them  and  not  a  morsel  of  food  in  the  house?  Do  as  you 
used  to  do.  Go  to  the  grocery  store  and  order  a  lot  of  provisions 
sent  up,  also  a  load  of  coal ;  and  shortly  after  that  follow  with  your 
Bible  and  read  God's  word  to  that  dying  woman,  and  then  kneel 
down  and  offer  up  a  prayer  to  God  in  her  behalf,  and  you  will  make 
the  very  courts  of  heaven  ring.  If  you  have  lost  any  of  these  gifts 
of  God,  stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself.  When  you 
pray  to  God  in  any  way,  know  that  you  will  receive  the  results  not 
only  in  the  affirmation  but  in  the  demands  as  well.  Then  realize 
this  :  when  you  want  anything  you  do  not  ask  God  to  give  it.  Why, 
you  already  had  it  given  to  you  by  your  charter  rights.  When 
you  were  created  and  given  power,  God  gave  you  all  these  things 
and  they  all  belong  to  you.  God  said,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our 
image,  after  our  likeness,  and  let  him  have  dominion  over  the 
fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the  cattle  and 
over  all  the  earth,  and  over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth."  God  did  then  and  there  give  man  dominon  over 
everything,  and  by  his  charter  rights  he  has  inherited  everything 
he  needs.  WHien  he  loses  any  of  his  inheritance,  all  he  has  to  do  i^ 
to  stretch  forth  his  hand  and  help  himself.  The  idea  that  is  held 
out,  that  this  one  or  that  one  is  more  favored  by  God  than  some 
others,  is  false.  If  some  persons  have  more  power  with  God  than 
others,  it  is  because  they  have  feasted  more  from  God's  table. 
Brother,  stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself.  Don't  be 
afraid ;  there  is  plenty  for  all.  We  are  all  God's  children,  created 
in  His  image  and  in  His  likeness,  endowed  with  all  power  and  all 
dominion,  and  we  all  have  it.  If  you  have  lost  any  of  your  inherit- 
ance, stretch  forth  your  hand  and  help  yourself.  Every  child  oE 
God  should  be  diligent  in  seeking  out  and  claiming  his  inheritance. 
Let  us  not  be  slack  to  go  over  and  possess  the  land.  There  are 
great  walls  to  be  thrown  down  and  fenced  cities  to  be  taken,  and 
great  giants  to  be  destroyed,  but  our  God  will  thrust  out  the  enemy 
before  us  and  give  us  full  possession  of  the  land.  The  inhabitants 
are  too  strong  for  us,  but  not  for  our  God.  He  is  the  Lord,  our 
healer.  Dear  suft'erer,  take  courage ;  be  strong,  fear  not. 
Strengthen  thine  heart,  the  land  of  salvation  and  healing  is  yours. 
Go  in  and  possess  it  in  Jesus'  name  and  all  of  your  diseases  will 
flee  before  you,  as  you  put  Jesus  up  against  them.  Behold  thy 
Healer. 


THE  TREE  OF  LIFE. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  75 

THE  TREE  OF  LIFE. 

(rev.  22:2.) 

**And  the  leaves  were  for  the  heaUng  of  the  nations." 
There  is  but  one  cure  for  the  nations — the  leaves  of  the  tree. 
There  grows  no  healing  herb  but  the  one  plant  of  renown.  There 
is  one  Sacred  Fountain.  To  wash  therein  is  health.  There  is  but 
one.  It  was  opened  on  Calvary.  There  is  one  Great  Physician, 
who  lays  His  hands  on  men  and  they  are  restored.  There  is  no  balm 
in  Gilead.  There  is  no  physician  there.  The  balm  is  at  the  cross. 
The  Physician  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Jesus  is  pictured 
here  as  a  blessed  tree  whose  leaves  heal  the  nations.  It  is  said 
of  the  blessed  in  the  first  Psalm :  "  His  leaf  also  shall  not  wither." 
God  takes  care  of  the  little  things — the  trifles  of  believers.  And 
here  of  our  Lord,  it  is  said,  the  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations.  That  is  to  say  even  His  common  things.  His  lower 
boons  of  grace  are  full  of  virtue.  Many  know  but  very  little  about 
Jesus  Christ,  but  if  they  believe  on  Him,  that  little  heals  them.  How 
very  few  of  us  know  much  of  our  Lord.  Some  only  know  that 
He  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  I  wish  that  they  knew 
more,  so  that  they  could  feed  upon  the  fruits  of  the  Tree  of  Life, 
but  even  to  know  that  is  salvation  to  them,  for  the  leaves  heal  the 
nations.  The  touch  of  His  hand  opened  deaf  ears.  The  spittle  of 
His  lips  enlightened  blind  eyes.  The  look  of  His  eye  softened 
hard  hearts.  The  humblest  and  most  timid  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
will  save.  If  you  have  but  a  mustard  seed  of  faith  you  are  saved. 
She  who  in  the  press  touched  but  the  hem  of  the  Savior's  garment 
found  the  virtue  flowed  out  of  Him  and  came  to  her.  Pluck  a  leaf 
of  this  tree  by  thy  poor  trembling  faith,  and  if  thou  dost  not  take 
more  than  that,  yet  shall  it  make  thee  whole.  There  is  not  a  word 
that  ever  fell  from  those  dear  lips  of  Jesus  but  what  bears  healing 
in  it  for  some  one  or  other  of  the  thousand  ills  that  have  befallen 
our  humanity.  It  is  a  sweet  thing  to  get  even  a  broken  text  from 
His  mouth.  A  word  of  His,  being  His,  and  recognized  as  His, 
and  coming  home  to  the  heart  as  His,  brings  healing  to  head  and 
heart.  A  leaf  of  the  Tree  of  Life  is  a  medicine  fitted  to  raise  the 
dead.  Do  you  not  know  its  power  by  a  joyful  experience  ?  Blessed 
be  God !  some  of  us  know  it  right  well,  and  can  bear  glad  wit- 
ness to  its  matchless  power.     Then,  too,  this  medicine  heals  all 


76  DIVINE    HEALING. 

sorts  of  diseases.  The  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  heahng  of 
the  nations.  It  does  not  say  of  this  or  that  malady,  but  by  its 
silence  it  teaches  us  that  the  medicine  is  universal  in  its  curative 
power.  Take  this  medicine,  then,  dear  friends,  to  any  man,  who- 
ever he  may  be,  and  let  it  be  applied  by  the  spirit  of  God,  and  it 
will  heal  him  of  whatsoever  disease  he  has,  because  the  gospel 
strikes  at  the  root  of  all  diseases.  Truly  it  exercises  power  over  all 
the  different  branches  of  the  tree  of  life,  but  it  does  so  by  laying  the 
ax  at  the  root,  for  it  deals  with  sin,  the  sin  of  unbelief,  the  sin  of 
not  loving  God.  And  dealing  with  this  it  removes  thereby  the 
various  forms  in  which  spiritual  disease  develops  itself  in  human 
life.  No  medicine  can  ever  heal  all  maladies  unless  it  eradicates 
the  root  of  the  evil  and  creates  a  fountain  of  health.  It  goes  to 
the  root  of  the  matter,  operates  upon  the  heart  and  purifies  the 
issues  of  life.  Human  precepts  and  methods  of  morality  lop  the 
boughs,  but  leave  the  trunk  of  the  deadly  tree  untouched.  But 
this  hits  the  top,  roots  and  tears  away  the  evil  growth  from  beneath 
the  soil.  For  this  course  it  is  able  to  remove  all  diseases.  This 
medicine  heals  disease  because  it  searches  into  the  innermost  na- 
ture. Some  medicines  are  only  for  the  skin,  others  will  only  touch 
a  few  organs,  and  those  not  vital,  but  the  leaves  of  the  gospel  tree, 
when  taken  as  a  medicine,  penetrate  the  veins  and  search  the 
heart.  Their  searching  operations  divide  between  the  joint  and 
the  marrow,  and  discern  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 
A  wondrous  medicine  this.  It  searches  the  soul  through  and 
through,  and  never  ceases  its  operations  till  it  has  purged  the  entire 
manhood  of  every  relic  of  sin  and  made  it  completely  clean.  Lord, 
give  us  these  leaves  !  Lord,  give  us  these  leaves  continually.  These 
leaves  prevent  the  recurrence  of  disease  by  enabling  the  man  hence- 
forth to  find  good  in  all  that  comes  to  him.  A  person's  diseases,  if 
healed,  may  by  the  food  which  he  shall  afterwards  receive  bring- 
on  the  disease  again.  Place  a  man  under  certain  conditions  which 
cause  him  an  illness.  You  may  heal  him,  but  if  you  had  him 
back  to  those  conditions  he  would  soon  be  ailing  again.  And  here 
in  such  a  world  as  this,  even  if  Christ  healed  us  to-day,  we  should 
be  sick  to  death  to-morrow  if  the  medicine  had  not  some  wondrous 
continuance  of  power,  and  so  it  is,  for  all  things  that  come  to  us 
after  conversion  are  changed  because  we  are  changed.  All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  that  are 
the  called  according  to  his  purpose.  Have  we  earthly  joy?  We 
no  longer  have  it,  but  it  points  us  to  God,  the  Giver.     Have  we 


MIND    AN  D    F  AIT  H    C  U  RE  .  77 

earthly  sorrow  ?  We  dare  not  despair  because  of  it,  for  we  know 
who  has  ordained  it.  Why  should  a  child  of  God  complain  who 
knows  that  there  is  love  in  every  chastening  stroke  of  his  Father's 
rod?  What  we  once  called  good  is  now  really  good  to  us,  for 
the  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life  are  an  infallible  antidote.  This  won- 
drous medicine  abides  in  the  system  as  a  source  of  health.  The 
waters  that  I  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing 
up  into  everlasting  life.  Other  medicine  taken  into  the  system  acts 
in  its  own  matter  and  there  is  an  end  to  it,  but  this  abides.  These 
healing  leaves  charge  the  life-blood,  affect  the  spirits,  and  make  the 
nature  other  than  it  was  before.  Yonder  in  heaven  those  faces 
which  look  so  bright  and  comely,  fresher  than  new-born  babes,  owe 
their  freshness  to  these  healing  leaves,  and  so  until  the  glory  life 
begins,  the  abiding  power  of  the  healing  leaves  keeps  the  soul  of 
the  believer  in  perpetual  health,  and -will  keep  him  so  world  without 
end.  This  gospel  heals  nations  wherever  the  nations  may  be, 
and  readily  heals  them  of  the  direct  miseries  and  the  blackest 
crimes.  It  is  the  sure  cure  for  poverty,  by  making  men  wise  and 
economical.  It  is  the  sure  cure  for  poverty,  teaching  men  to  love 
their  fellows  and  respect  the  rights  of  all.  It  is  the  cure  for 
drunkenness,  weaning  the  drunkard  from  his  filthy  appetite,  saving 
him  from  the  spell  which  binds  him.  This  same  remedy  will  like- 
wise heal  and  restore  the  opium  fiend  and  the  slave  to  the  tobacco 
habit.  This  gospel  is  the  only  preventive  for  war.  We  shall  need 
no  blood-red  soldiery  when  once  the  warriors  of  the  cross  have 
won  the  day.  This  is  the  cure  for  those  foul  evils  which  are  the 
curse  of  our  social  economics,  which  human  laws  too  often  in- 
crease instead  of  remove.  This  shall  purge  us  from  every  form 
of  knavery,  rebellion  and  discontent,  and  this  only.  God  grant 
that  its  healing  influences  may  drop  upon  the  nations  thick  as 
leaves  in  the  jungles  of  Africa,  till  that  golden  age  shall  dawn 
in  which  the  world  shall  be  the  abode  of  moral  health.  These 
words  to  close  with :  Are  you  sick  this  morning  ?  Take  these 
leaves  freely.  Are  you  very  sick?  The  stronger  is  the  reason 
why  you  should  take  them.  You  are  sinful.  Past  guilt  troubles 
you.  Take  the  leaves  again  and  again.  Worse  than  that.  Temp- 
tations to  evil  afflict  you.  Then  feed  on  the  purging  leaves  as 
long  as  you  live  and  they  will  prove  an  antidote.  You  need  not 
think  that  you  will  exhaust  the  merit  or  power  of  Christ,  for  if 
the  fruit  is  described  as  coming  twelve  times  in  the  year,  how 
abundant  must  the  leaves  be.    There  is  enough  in  Christ  for  every 


78  DIVINE    HE  ALIN  G. 

sin-sick  sinner.  If  the  sinner  do  but  come  to  Jesus  he  shall  find 
no  stint  in  Jesus'  healing  power.  Though  the  sick  soul  be  full  of 
leprosy  the  Savior  is  full  of  grace.  Put  forth  thy  finger,  sister, 
and  touch  the  hem  of  Jesus'  garment.  Now  lift  thine  eye,  sinner, 
look  to  Christ  on  the  cross.  Though  He  seem  far  away  from  thee, 
there  is  life  in  a  glance.  However  dim  the  eye  or  distant  the  view, 
come  to  this  tree.  Its  very  leaves  will  heal  thee.  Last  of  all.  Are 
you  healed?  Well,  then,  scatter  these  leaves.  Are  you  saved? 
Speak  of  Jesus  Christ  to  everybody,  for  the  heart  that  is  fitted 
for  communion  is  a  hungering  and  thirsting  heart.  Let  us  learn 
from  Mary  Magdalene  how  to  obtain  fellowship  with  the  Lord 
Jesus.  When  she  went  to  His  sepulchre  she  sought  Him  with  very 
great  boldness.  The  disciples  fled  from  the  sepulchre,  for  they 
trembled  and  were  amazed,  but  Mary,  it  is  said,  stood  at  the  sepul- 
chre. If  you  would  have  Christ  with  you,  seek  Him  boldly.  Let 
nothing  hold  you  back.  Press  on  where  others  flee.  She  sought 
Christ  faithfully.  She  stood  at  the  sepulchre.  Some  find  it  hard 
to  stand  by  a  living  Savior,  but  she  stood  by  a  dead  one.  Let  us 
seek  Christ  after  this  mode,  cleaving  to  the  very  least  thing  that 
has  to  do  with  Him,  remaining  faithful  though  all  others  should 
forsake  Him.  Note  further,  she  sought  Jesus  earnestly.  She 
stood  weeping.  Those  tears  dropping  were  as  spells  that  led  the 
Savior  captive,  and  made  Him  come  forth  and  show  Himself 
to  her.  If  you  desire  Jesus'  presence,  weep  for  it.  If  you  cannot 
be  happy  unless  He  come  and  say  to  you.  Thou  art  my  beloved, 
you  will  soon  hear  His  voice.  Lastly,  she  sought  the  Savior  only. 
What  cared  she  for  angels.  She  turned  herself  back  from  them. 
Her  search  was  only  for  the  Lord.  If  Christ  be  your  one  and 
only  love,  if  your  heart  has  cast  out  all  rivals,  you  will  not  long  lack 
the  comfort  of  His  presence.  I  want  always  to  imitate  Simon's 
action,  when  he  took  the  Redeemer  altogether  into  his  arms  and 
said,  **  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace.'' 
There  was  a  long  distance  between  Simon  with  the  Son  of  the 
Highest  in  his  arms  and  the  woman  who  touched  the  hem  of  the 
Master's  garment,  yet  both  have  gone  to  heaven.  And  there 
is  a  good  way  between  the  Christian  who  can  embrace  a  whole 
Christ  and  a  poor,  timid  one  who  can  only  tremblingly  hope  in  Him. 
If  you  cannot  tell  others  all  about  Christ  and  give  them  the  fruit 
of  the  tree,  go  and  give  them  the  leaves. 


THE  DUMB  MAN  POSSESSED  OF  A  DEVIL  HEALED  AT  CAPERNAUM. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  81 

THE  DUMB  MAN  POSSESSED  OF  A  DEVIL  HEALED 
AT  CAPERNAUM. 

(MATTHEW  9:32-33.) 

"As  they  went  out,  behold,  they  brought  to  Him  a  dumb  man 
possessed  with  a  devil. 

''And  when  the  devil  was  cast  out,  the  dumb  spake:  and  the 
multitudes  marvelled,  saying,  It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel." 

Jesus'  hand  can  cool  the  heat  of  my  burning  brow,  and  stay 
the  tumult  of  my  palpitating  heart.  That  glorious  right  hand 
which  moulded  the  world  can  new-create  my  mind;  the  un- 
wearied hand  which  bears  the  earth's  huge  pillars  up  can  sustain 
my  spirit;  the  loving  hand  which  encloses  all  the  saints  can 
cherish  me;  and  the  mighty  hand  which  breaketh  in  pieces  the 
enemy  can  subdue  my  sins.  Why  should  I  not  feel  that  hand 
touching  me  this  evening?  Come,  sinner,  address  thy  God  with 
the  potent  plea,  that  Jesus'  hands  were  pierced  for  thy  redemp- 
tion, and  thou  shalt  surely  feel  that  same  hand  upon  thee  which 
once  touched  Daniel  and  set  hirri  upon  his  knees  that  he  might 
see  visions  of  God. 

Our  various  experiences  are  meant  by  our  heavenly  Father  to 
furnish  fresh  standpoints  from  which  we  may  view  the  loveliness 
of  Jesus;  how  amiable  are  our  trials,  when  they  carry  us  aloft 
where  we  may  gain  clearer  views  of  Jesus  than  ordinary  life  can 
afford  us !  We  have  seen  Him  from  the  top  of  Amana,  from  the 
top  of  Shenir  and  Hermon,  and  He  has  shone  upon  us  as  the 
sun  in  His  strength ;  but  we  have  seen  Him  also  "from  the  lions' 
dens  from  the  mountains  of  the  leopards,"  and  He  has  lost  none 
of  His  loveliness.  From  the  languishing  of  a  sick  bed,  from  the 
borders  of  the  grave,  have  we  turned  our  eyes  to  our  soul's 
Spouse,  and  He  has  never  been  otherwise  than  "all  fair."  Many 
of  His  saints  have  looked  upon  Him  from  the  gloom  of  dungeons, 
and  from  the  red  flames  of  the  stake,  yet  have  they  never  uttered 
an  ill  word  of  Him,  but  have  died  extolling  His  surpassing 
charms.  Oh,  noble  and  pleasant  employment  to  be  forever  gazing 
at  our  sweet  Lord  Jesus !  Is  it  not  unspeakably  delightful  to  view 
the  Savior  in  all  His  offices,  and  to  perceive  Him  matchless  in 
each? — to  shift  the  kaleidoscope,  as  it  were,  and  to  find  fresh 


82  DIVINE     HEALING. 

combinations  of  peerless  graces  ?  In  the  manger  and  in  eternity, 
on  the  cross  and  on  His  throne,  in  the  garden  and  in  His  king- 
dom, among  thieves  or  in  the  midst  of  cherubim,  He  is  every- 
where ''altogether  lovely."  Examine  carefully  every  little  act  ot 
His  life,  and  every  trait  of  His  character,  and  He  is  as  lovely  in 
the  minute  as  in  the  majestic.  Judge  Him  as  you  will,  you  cannot 
censure ;  weigh  Him  as  you  please,  and  He  will  not  be  found 
wanting.  Eternity  shall  not  discover  the  shadow  of  a  spot  in 
our  Beloved,  but,  rather,  as  ages  revolve.  His  hidden  glories  shall 
shine  forth  with  yet  more  inconceivable  splendor,  and  His  un- 
utterable loveliness  shall  more  and  more  ravish  all  celestial  minds. 

THE  HEALING  OF  TEN  LEPERS. 
(luke17:11-U.) 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  as  He  went  to  Jerusalem,  that  He 
passed  through  the  midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee. 

"And  as  He  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  Him  ten 
men  that  were  lepers,  which  stood  afar  off : 

"And  they  lifted  up  their  voices,  and  said,  Jesus,  Master,  have 
mercy  on  us. 

"And  when  He  saw  them,  He  said  unto  them.  Go  shew  your- 
selves unto  the  priests.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  they 
went,  they  were  cleansed. 

"And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned 
back,  and  with  a  loud  voice  glorified  God. 

"And  fell  upon  his  face,  at  His  feet,  giving  Him  thanks :  and 
he  was  a  Samaritan. 

"And  Jesus  answering,  said,  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed? 
but  where  are  the  nine? 

"There  are  not  found  that  returned  to  give  glory  to  God,  save 
this  stranger. 

"And  He  said  unto  him.  Arise,  go  thy  way:  thy  faith  hath 
made  thee  whole." 

Dear  reader,  this  book  was  mainly  intended  for  the, edification 
of  believers ;  but  if  you  are  yet  unsaved,  our  heart  yearns  for  you ; 
and  we  would  say  a  word  which  may  be  blessed  to  you.  Open 
your  Bible,  and  read  the  story  of  the  lepers,  and  mark  their  po- 
sition, which  was  much  the  same  as  yours.  If  you  remain 
where  you  are  you  must  perish ;  if  you  go  to  Jesus  you  can  but 
die.     "Nothing  venture,  nothing  win,"  is  the  old  proverb,  and  in 


M  IN  D    AN  D    FAIT  H    CU  RE  .  83 

your  case  the  venture  is  no  great  one.  If  you  sit  still  in  sullen 
despair,  no  one  can  pity  you  when  your  ruin  comes ;  but  if  you 
die  with  mercy  sought,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  you  would 
be  the  object  of  universal  sympathy.  None  escape  who  refuse 
to  look  to  Jesus ;  but  you  know  that,  at  any  rate,  some  are  saved 
who  believe  in  Him,  for  certain  of  your  own  acquaintances  have 
received  mercy :  then  why  not  you  ?  The  Ninevites  said,  "Who 
can  tell?"  Act  upon  the  same  hope,  and  try  the  Lord's  mercy. 
To  perish  is  so  awful,  that  if  there  were  but  a  straw  to  catch  at, 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation  should  lead  you  to  stretch  out 
your  hand.  We  have  thus  been  talking  to  you  on  your  own  unbe- 
lieving ground ;  we  would  now  assure  you,  as  from  the  Lord, 
that  if  you  seek  Him  He  will  be  found  of  you.  Jesus  casts  out 
none  who  come  unto  Him.  You  shall  not  perish  if  you  trust 
Him ;  on  the  contrary,  you  shall  find  treasure  far  richer  than  the 
poor  lepers  gathered  in  Syria's  deserted  camp.  May  the  Holy 
Spirit  embolden  you  to  go  at  once,  and  you  shall  not  believe  in 
vain.  When  you  are  saved  yourself,  publish  the  good  news  to 
others.  Hold  not  your  peace ;  tell  the  King's  household  first,  and 
unite  with  them  in  fellowship ;  let  the  porter  of  the  city,  the 
minister,  be  informed  of  your  discovery,  and  then  proclaim  the 
good  news  in  every  place.  The  Lord  save  thee  ere  the  sun  goes 
down   this   day. 


THE   LEPER. 

Jesus,  if  still  Thou  art  today, 
As  yesterday,  the  same — 

Present  to  heal — in  me  display 
The  virtue  of  Thy  name. 

Now,  Lord,  to  whom  for  help  I  call. 

Thy  miracles  repeat ; 
With  pitying  eyes  behold  me  fall 

A  leper  at  thy  feet. 

Loathsome,  and  vile,  and  self-abhorr'd. 

I  sink  beneath  my  sin; 
But,  if  Thou  wilt,  a  gracious  word 

Of  Thine  can  make  me  clean. 


HEALING   OF   THE    BLIND. 


""c^' 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CUR  E  .  87 

THE  HEALING  OF  TWO  BLIND  MEN  AT  JERICHO. 
(matt.  20:29-34.) 

*'And  as  they  departed  from  Jericho,  a  great  multitude  followed 
Him. 

''And  behold,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  the  wayside,  when  they 
heard  that  Jesus  passed  by,  cried  out,  saying,  Have  mercy  on  us, 
O  Lord,  thou  Son  of  David. 

"And  the  multitude  rebuked  them,  because  they  should  hold 
their  peace :  but  they  cried  the  more,  saying,  Have  mercy  on  us, 
O  Lord,  thou  Son  of  David. 

''And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  called  them,  and  said.  What  will 
ye  that  I  shall  do  unto  you? 

"They  say  unto  Him,  Lord,  that  our  eyes  may  be  opened. 

"So  Jesus  had  compassion  on  them,  and  touched  their  eyes  :  and 
immediately  their  eyes  received  sight,  and  they  followed  Him." 

What  a  comfort  to  know  that  we  have  a  great  Physician  who 
is  both  able  and  willing  to  heal  us !  Let  us  think  of  Him  a  while 
to-night.  His  cures  are  very  speedy — there  is  life  in  a  look  at 
him;  His  cures  are  radical — He  strikes  at  the  center  of  the 
disease;  and  hence  his  cures  are  sure  and  certain.  He 
never  fails,  and  the  disease  never  returns.  There  is  no  relapse 
where  Christ  heals ;  no  fear  that  His  patients  should  be  merely 
patched  up  for  a  season ;  He  makes  new  men  of  them ;  a  new 
heart  also  does  He  give  them,  and  a  right  spirit  does  He  put 
within  them.  He  is  well  skilled  in  all  diseases.  Physicians  gen- 
erally have  some  specialite.  Although  they  may  know  a  little 
about  almost  all  our  pains  and  ills,  there  is  usually  one  disease 
which  they  have  studied  above  all  others :  but  Jesus  Christ  is 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  whole  of  human  nature.  He 
is  as  much  at  home  with  one  sinner  as  with  another,  and  never 
yet  did  he  meet  with  an  out  of  the  way  case  that  was  difficult  to 
Him.  He  has  had  extraordinary  complications  of  strange  diseases 
to  deal  with,  but  He  has  known  exactly  with  one  glance  of  His 
eye  how  to  treat  the  patient.  He  is  the  only  universal  doctor ;  and 
the  medicine  He  gives  is  the  only  true  catholicon,  healing  in  every 
instance.  Whatever  our  spiritual  malady  may  be,  we  should 
apply  at  once  to  this  Divine  Physician.  There  is  no  brokenness  of 
heart  which  Jesus  cannot  bind  up.    "His  blood  cleanseth  from  all 


88  DIVINE     HE ALIN  G. 

sin."  We  have  but  to  think  of  the  myriads  who  have  been  de- 
livered from  all  sorts  of  diseases  through  the  power  and  virtue 
of  His  touch,  and  we  shall  joyfully  put  ourselves  in  His  hands. 


THE  BLIND  RECEIVE  THEIR  SIGHT. 

"And  when  Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind  men  followed 
Him,  crying,  and  saying,  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us. 
And  when  He  was  come  into  the  house,  the  blind  men  came  unto 
him,  and  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do 
this  ?  They  said  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord.  Then  touched  He  their  eyes, 
saying.  According  to  your  faith,  be  it  unto  you.  And  their  eyes 
were  opened."— Matt.  9  :27-30. 

Let  us  look  into  this  interesting  narrative  for  help  as  we 
come  to  Jesus  for  healing.  Do  you  not  think,  dear  blind  brother 
or  sister,  that  if  you  had  been  with  these  two  men  as  they  called 
upon  the  Son  of  David  for  help,  you  would  have  lifted  your  voice 
with  them,  and  could  have  believed  that  He  was  able  to  do  this  for 
you  as  well  as  for  them?  Certainly  you  would,  and  you  have  just 
as  good  a  right  to  your  sight  as  they  had.  Let  me  ask  you  a 
question.  Do  you  think  you  have  as  much  faith  as  they  had? 
If  you  have  not,  you  may  have.  If  we  notice  how  much  they 
had,  we  can  see  if  we  are  upon  the  same  plane  with  them.  Their 
faith  can  be  measured  by  their  answer  to  Jesus.  He  asked 
them:  ''Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  this?"  Their  answer 
was  the  indication  of  the  measure  of  their  faith :  ''Yea,  Lord." 
Now  there  was  nothing  very  extraordinary  about  this,  was  there  ^ 
You  believe  the  same,  without  the  shadow  of  a  doubt.  Who 
would  dare  to  say  that  Jesus  is  not  able  to  open  the  eyes  of  the 
blind?  Some  poor  doubting  professors  might  make  such  an 
assertion,  but  such  should  not  dare  call  themselves  Christians. 

But  you  believe  He  is  able  now,  as  when  He  was  here  on 
earth  among  men.  Thank  God,  this  is  not  hard  for  any  of  us 
to  believe ;  but  there  is  something  more  to  do  than  this.  These 
blind  men  believed  also  that  He  was  willing.  Here  is  where 
many  of  us  fail  to  measure  up  to  them.  We  are  constantly  crying 
to  Him,  "If  it  be  Thy  will."  These  men  did  not  do  this.  Sup- 
pose they  should  have  cried,  "Thou  Son  of  David,  if  it  be  thy 


M  IND    AN  D    FAIT  H    CU  RE  .  89 

will,  have  mercy  on  us."  It  might  have  been  possible  at  that 
time,  when  the  gospel  was  not  fully  understood  by  the  people, 
that  Jesus  would  have  said  in  plain  words,  It  is  My  will,  and 
healed  them  anyway ;  but  they  did  not  ask  in  such  a  doubting  man- 
ner. The  news  of  His  great  compassion  toward  sinful  and  suffering 
mortals,  had  been  published  abroad.  This  could  be  none  other 
than  Him  of  whom  the  prophets  did  foretell.  He  was  to  take 
our  infirmities  and  to  bear  our  sicknesses.  Yes,  He  was  to  be 
the  son  of  David.  He  was  to  do  the  very  work  that  is  now 
being  done.  The  eyes  of  the  blind  were  to  be  opened  (Isa.  35  :5  ; 
Luke  4  :18),  and  now  these  poor  men  who  had  long  been  groping 
in  darkness,  felt  that  their  moment  of  deliverance  had  come. 
The  promised  and  long-looked-for  Redeemer  is  here.  When  they 
called  upon  the  Son  of  David,  they  did  so  in  a  living  faith.  He 
must  be  willing,  for  this  is  one  of  the  prophetic  characteristics 
of  the  Messiah.  Yes,  they  believed  He  was  willing,  fully  as  much 
as  that  He  was  able,  and  why  should  not  we  ?  This  very  incident 
alone  should  be  a  sufficient  evidence  to  us  of  His  willingness,  even 
if  there  should  be  none  other  to  be  found  in  His  sacred  ministry. 
This  one  was  enough  to  fulfill  the  prophecies  concerning  the 
opening  of  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  How  could  they  be  more  literallv 
fulfilled? 

We  must  also  believe  the  prophets,  for  they  testify  of  the 
Christ.  God  spoke  to  our  fathers  by  the  prophets  (Heb.  1 :1,  2), 
but  now  speaks  to  us  by  His  Son.  If  the  words  of  the  prophets 
were  sufficient  foundations  for  the  faith  of  these  blind  men,  how 
much  more  should  the  words,  life,  and  ministry  of  Jesus  be  a 
foundation  for  our  faith !  All  these  prove  equally  His  power  and 
willingness  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  to  heal  all  diseases. 
To  doubt  His  will  is  really  doubting  His  word,  for  His  word  is 
His  will.  This  may  not  seem  clear  without  careful  reflection. 
Jesus  was  the  word  made  flesh.  Jno.  1 :14.  Every  word  and 
deed  of  His  life  was  the  spoken  word  of  God ;  irrevocable  through 
this  gospel  dispensation.  Jesus,  therefore,  was  and  is  the  ex- 
pressed will  of  God  to  us.  What  He  ever  did  do  in  forgiving  sins, 
and  healing  diseases.  He  is  able  and  willing  to  do  now.  It  would 
be  well  for  every  one  who  may  not  yet  have  settled  this  matter 
satisfactorily,  to  wait  upon  God  in  prayerful  study  of  His  word, 
until  His  will  is  thoroughly  manifested  and  faith  can  rest  upon 
the  living  promises.  It  is  marvelous  that  God  has  been  able  to 
heal  any  one  in  this  age  of  doubt. 


90  DIVINE    HEALING. 

Let  us  no  more  permit  the  if  to  come  between  us  and  Jesus 
when  asking  for  healing,  or  anything  else  so  plainly  expressed  in 
the  plan  of  redemption,  but  with  the  simple  faith  of  these  blmd 
men,  who  knew  the  will  of  this  compassionate  Deliverer,  call 
upon  Him  for  help.  It  is  the  divine  law  of  faith  to  ask,  seek,  and 
knock;  to  receive,  find,  and  gain  admittance.  And  if  will  hinder 
the  perfect  work  of  faith,  just  as  a  break  in  the  wire  will  hinder 
the  flow  of  the  current  of  electricity.  We  must  become  perfectly 
assured  of  what  the  will  of  God  is,  then  accept  it  once  for  all. 

Frequently,  one  says,  ''I  have  been  praying  for  years  for  my 
sight,  or  healing,  and  have  not  obtained  it."  Dear  seeker,  let 
me  ask  you  to  turn  again  in  prayerful  study  to  this  incident  of 
the  healing  of  these  blind  men.  Their  faith  was  definite.  They 
were  now  in  His  presence  and  had  the  confidence  that  their 
petition  was  recognized,  but  this  was  not  all ;  they  were  not  yet 
satisfied.  Nothing  but  their  sight  could  ever  cause  them  to  go 
their  way  in  peace.  We  might  say  they  should  have  been  content 
to  be  in  His  presence.  This  was  truly  a  glorious  privilege,  but 
it  was  not  enough.  They  were  believing  for  more.  Had  they 
not  been,  they  might  well  have  considered  themselves  highly 
favored  to  be  in  the  same  house  with  Jesus  and  to  hear  His 
gracious  words. 

A  heart  of  faith  never  forgets  to  be  thankful  for  blessings 
already  received,  but  it  is  also  thankful  for  those  that  are  yet 
unseen,  which  it  holds  in  the  promise;  for  what  is  faith  but  the 
''evidence  of  things  not  seen."  It  can  rejoice  in  these  things 
obtained,  but  it  does  not  rest  content  here.  It  stands  securely  and 
unshaken  upon  the  promise  with  rejoicing,  but  from  this  vantage 
ground  it  reaches  beyond,  and  lays  hold  upon  the  Promiser  and 
obtains  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise.  These  men  had  the  faith 
for  their  sight,  which  brought  them  into  the  presence  of  Jesus, 
where  the  object  of  their  faith  must  now  be  obtained. 

Had  Jesus  manifested  any  indiflference  to  their  request  at  this 
point  of  this  incident,  there  doubtless  would  have  been  a  continua- 
tion of  their  cries,  and  even  more;  since  they  were  now  in  His 
presence,  there  would  have  been  an  experience  similar  to  the  one 
of  Jacob  at  Peniel,  had  their  request  been  delayed.  Jesus  knew 
this,  and  it  was  impossible  for  Him  to  do  anything  else  than 
what  He  did.  Many  of  God's  afflicted  fail  in  this  respect.  They 
are  saved  and  enjoying  much  spiritual  life ;  they  may  be  baptized 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  living  continually  in  the  very  presence  of 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  91 

Jesus ;  but  they  do  not  appropriate  the  promise  for  heahng.  They 
do  not  definitely  claim  a  definite  experience,  even  though  assured 
that  He  is  able,  willing,  and  present  to  heal.  They  too  often  are 
constrained  to  believe  that  they  could  not  contain  more,  or  could 
not  glorify  God  with  their  healing,  or  should  be  satisfied  with  their 
lot  if  it  be  His  will.  Others  become  bewildered  if  their  faith 
shall  not  at  once  obtain  the  visible  result,  and  they  faint  by  the 
way.  They  fall  from  a  state  of  active  faith,  into  a  passive  one  in 
which  they  dismiss  the  subject  from  their  minds,  and  live  along 
in  some  future  hope.  They  even  lose  their  enjoyment  in  reading  the 
promises  for  healing,  and  have  no  interest  in  hearing  the  doctrine 
taught.     No  wonder  they  are  not  healed. 

The  definite  faith  of  these  blind  men  brought  the  definite  touch 
of  healing  from  the  loving  hand  of  Jesus. 


"THEN  TOUCHED  HE  THEIR  EYES, 

saying.  According  to  your  faith,  be  it  unto  you."  You  see  how 
their  faith  measured  his  power  to  do  for  them,  and  their  eyes  were 
opened.  All  this  was  only  according  to  their  faith.  It 
saw  in  Him  the  Son  of  David,  it  caused  them  to  cry  out 
for  mercy,  to  follow  Him  even  into  the  house,  believed  He  was 
able  and  willing,  received  His  touch,  and  their  sight. 


IN  THE  VILLAGES  THE  SICK  WERE  BROUGHT  UNTO  HIM. 


M  IN  D    AN  D    FAI  T  H    CU  RE  .  95 

IN  THE  VILLAGES  THE  SICK  WERE  BROUGHT  UNTO 

HIM. 

(mark  6  :5o-56.) 

"  And  ran  through  that  whole  region  round  about,  and 
began  to  carry  about  in  beds  those  that  were  sick,  where  they  heard 
He  was. 

"  And  whithersoever  He  entered,  into  villages,  or  cities,  or 
country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets,  and  besought  Him  that 
they  might  touch,  if  it  were  but  the  border  of  His  garment ;  and 
as  many  as  touched  Him,  were  made  whole." 

God  not  only  heals  the  sick,  but-  He  heals  everything.  If  you 
will  only  take  Him  into  your  confidence  and  walk  with  Him,  He 
will  take  you  by  the  hand  and  walk  with  you  up  the  steps  to  eternal 
happiness,  eternal  peace,  and  not  only  destroy  inharmony  of  health, 
but  inharmony  of  every  conceivable  character.  He  will  fill  you 
with  love  and  strew  your  pathway  with  flowers ;  He  will  give  you 
sunshine  to  walk  in ;  He  will  bless  you  and  bless  you ;  He  will  go 
with  you  in  the  daytime  and  in  the  night,  and  nothing  can  come 
near  you,  around  you  or  about  you,  but  God  Almighty's  love,  if 
you  will  only  come  to  Jesus  Christ  and  acknowledge  these  things. 

"He  healeth  all  our  diseases."  He  who  made  man  can  restore 
man ;  He  who  was  at  first  the  creator  of  our  nature  can  now  re- 
create it.  What  a  transcendent  comfort  it  is  that  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  ''dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily" !  Reader, 
whatever  thy  disease  may  be,  this  great  Physician  can  heal  thee.  If 
He  be  God,  there  can  be  no  limit  to  His  power.  Come,  then,  with 
the  blind  eye  of  darkened  understanding,  come  with  the  limping 
foot  of  wasted  energy,  come  with  the  maimed  hand  of  weak  faith, 
the  fever  of  an  angry  temper,  or  the  ague  of  shivering  despond- 
ency, come  just  as  thou  art,  for  He  who  is  God  can  certainly  restore 
thee  of  thy  plague.  None  shall  restrain  the  healing  virtue  which 
proceeds  from  Jesus  our  Lord.  Legions  of  devils  have  been  made 
to  own  the  power  of  the  beloved  Physician,  and  never  once  has  Ha 
been  baffled.  All  His  patients  have  been  cured  in  the  past,  and  shall 
be  in  the  future,  and  thou  shalt  be  one  among  them,  my  friend,  if 
thou  wilt  but  rest  thyself  in  Him  this  night. 


96  DIVINEHEALING. 


HEALTH  WITHOUT  DRUGS,  DIVINE  HEALING. 

Divine  healing,  mind  and  faith  cure,  is  a  gift  granted  by  God. 
God  heals  diseases  through  many  different  agencies. 

God  heals  diseases  through  faith.  If  we  want  a  blessing  from 
God,  nothing  can  fetch  it  down  but  faith.  Prayer  cannot  draw 
down  answers  from  God's  throne  except  it  be  the  earnest  prayer  of 
the  man  who  believes.  Faith  is  the  angel  messenger  between  the 
soul  and  the  Lord  Jesus  in  glory.  Without  faith  how  can  we  re- 
ceive anything  of  the  Lord. 

Faith  is  essential,  but  not  all  the  requisites.  Works  must  be 
annexed  to  faith  to  use  God's  combination  cure. 

Some  divine  healers  rely  entirely  on  the  invisible  agencies  in- 
voked by  prayer  and  fail  to  apply  works.  That's  why  they  fail  to 
cure.  If  you  have  a  dislocated  limb  dangling  in  the  air,  a  mis- 
placed spinal  column,  a  twisted  vertebra,  an  impinged  nerve  and 
blood  vessel  obstructed  by  a  misplaced  bone  shutting  off  its  circu- 
lation, you  might  pray  a  thousand  years  and  not  remove  it,  and 
your  patient  suffer  all  the  while. 

Christ  said.  ''Works  and  faith"  must  go  together ;  now  that's 


DIVINE  HEALING. 

You  must  remove  the  cause  if  it  is  physical,  the  prayer  and  God 
will  do  the  rest. 

When  a  man  has  a  broken  leg,  don't  falsify,  deceive  and  tell  the 
victim  God  and  prayer  alone  will  straighten  it,  and  make  him  a 
cripple  all  his  life,  but  apply  your  hands  (which  is  meant  by  Christ 
as  works),  and  add  your  faith  and  you  will  set  that  broken,  ill- 
shaped,  distorted  leg,  and  God  will  knit  it  up,  and  the  party  will 
have  a  good-shaped  limb  again,  and  bless  God  for  it. 


THAT'S  WHAT  DIVINE  HEALING  DOES. 

Divine  healing  recognizes  kneading — manipulating  and  mas- 
saging in  their  place ;  osteopathy  in  dislocation  and  all  the  various 
forms  of  diseases;  hydropathy  (that  is,  water)  in  its  place;  prayer 


M  I  N  D    A  N  D    F  A  IT  H    CUR  E  .  97 

and  faith  in  their  places;  good  foods,  fresh  air,  pure  water  and 
blessed  sunshine  in  their  places.  Divine  healing  is  the  administer- 
ing (properly)  of  all  means  of  cure.  Its  one  great  object  is  to 
cure  the  afflicted.  It  advocates  the  recognition  of  God's  spirit  in  all 
healing  arts,  because  God  puts  the  healing  virtue  wherever  it 
exists. 


DIVINE  HEALING,  MIND  AND  FAITH  CURE. 

Divine  healing  should  be  free.  This  is  a  question  frequently 
asked :  Is  it  right  for  Christian  healers  to  charge  for  their  ser- 
vices? People  often  refer  to  the  fact  that  Jesus  never  charged 
anything  for  healing;  that  the  gift  of  God  was  free.  Jesus  tells 
us  that  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  Jesus  never  charged,  yet 
it  is  true  He  had  the  purse,  that  .  is  to  say,  that  His  chosen 
disciples  were  to  look  after  His  finances  and  one  of  them  carried 
the  purse.  When  Jesus  was  asked  for  money  to  pay  His  taxes  to 
Caesar,  He  did  not  have  any  money,  but  told  His  disciple  to  go  and 
cast  a  net  into  the  sea,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  first  fish  he 
caught  to  take  a  piece  of  money  with  which  to  pay  for  Jesus  and 
himself.  I  agree  with  them  that  no  healer  should  charge  for  this 
gift  of  God,  but  he  has  a  perfect  right  to  charge  for  his  time.  They 
might  just  as  well  say  that  all  professors  and  teachers  in  our  col- 
leges and  religious  institutions  should  give  their  services  free,  and 
that  all  ministers  of  the  gospel  should  work  for  nothing.  They 
could  not  preach  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  if  it  was 
not  a  gift  of  God.  They  heal  sin  and  I  heal  disease.  We  have  to 
pay  them  for  their  time  or  they  could  not  live  and  support  their 
families.  W^hy  not  be  willing  to  pay  me.  I  cannot  live  on  air 
alone,  as  that  is  about  all  I  get  that  is  free.  If  I  heal  the  sick  and 
put  them  in  shape  to  earn  money,  it  is  no  more  than  right  that  they 
should  pay  me  for  my  time.  To  those  who  apply  to  me  for  home 
treatment,  I  will  furnish  special  advice  and  information  how  to 
proceed  with  the  treatment,  with  full  directions  suitable  to  each 
case,  as  their  disease  or  diseases  may  require,  but  the  patient  must 
send  me  a  complete  history  of  his  case.  This  he  must  send  at  the 
same  time  he  remits  the  money.  Give  all  the  symptoms  and  how 
long  the  patient  has  been  afflicted,  also  give  name  of  disease.  Let 
it  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  foregoing  is  in  the  form  of  ad- 
vice given  each  individual  case  after  a  diagnosis  of  the  case  in 


98  DIVINE     HEALING. 

question.  I  charge  for  my  time  only,  my  expended  energy  in  this 
advice,  as  it  is  the  result  of  years  of  hard  toil  and  research  at  a 
big  expense.  Divine  healers  are  human  beings  like  all  other  human 
6eing,  therefore  need  the  same  sustenance.  I  have  office  rents  to 
pay,  employees  to  pay,  and  many  other  expenditures,  and  conse- 
quently I  must  charge  for  my  time  so  as  to  have  an  income  to 
enable  me  to  carry  on  my  business  of  healing  the  sick  and  reclaim- 
ing the  sinner.  I  charge  for  home  treatment  ten  dollars  per 
month,  in  advance.  If  the  afflicted  will  follow  my  directions  strict- 
ly to  the  letter  they  will  receive  in  return  one  hundred  fold  in  bene- 
fits. We  prefer  that  patients  come  direct  to  our  Institute  to  take 
personal  treatment.  The  treatment  will  have  a  more  speedy  effect, 
and  a  cure  can  be  secured  more  quickly,  especially  with  the  unbe- 
lievers ;  we  can  soon  heal  their  unbelief.  Distance,  lack  of  means 
or  strength  to  travel,  need  keep  no  one  from  securing  relief  as  you 
can  be  treated  at  your  own  home,  but  it  may  take  longer  to  effect 
a  cure.  I  will  not  promise  to  cure  everybody,  for  that  is  more  than 
Christ  did  Himself,  or  at  least  we  have  no  record  of  Christ  healing 
any  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  owing  to  their  unbelief.  Christ's 
apostles  did  not  cure  everybody  they  treated,  owing  to  their  unbe- 
lief. I  do  not  want  to  misrepresent  or  hold  out  false  inducements 
to  get  any  one  to  send  to  me  for  treatment,  and  for  that  reason 
I  will  not  solicit  any  one  to  apply  to  me  for  treatment.  If  they  do, 
they  do  so  by  their  own  free  will. 


THE  LAME  MAN  AT  THE  BEAUTIFUL  GATE. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE.  101 

THE  LAME  MAN  AT  THE  BEAUTIFUL  GATE.  : 

(acts  3:1-16.)  ; 

In  consideration  of  the  acts  of  the  apostles,  we  have  the  scrip- 
tural right  to  say  that  the  second  commission  brings  them  into 
our  present  dispensation,  and  what  was  true  and  practical  through 
faith  in  the  name  of  Jesus  in  the  days  of  Peter  and  John,  is  just  as 
much  so  to-day.  Jesus  is  absent  in  body,  but  He  has  given  His 
name,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  to  abide  forever,  as  the  perpetual  legacy 
of  the  church,  through  whose  power  it  is  the  design  of  God  that 
His  people  should  be  able  to  overcome  every  power  of  the  en- 
emy. All  who  can  go  forth  in  the  very  name  and  nature  of  Jesus 
(which  means  to  be  in  perfect  union  with  Him,  in  every  interest 
in  life,  and  in  love,  so  that  His  name  will  be  everything  to  us, 
and  therefore  obtain  everything  for  us)  may  expect  Him  to  fulfill 
His  promise :  ''Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world." 

This  is  the  secret  of  this  miracle  of  healing.  Peter  and  John 
had  been  taught  by  the  personal  instruction  of  Jesus,  and  by  the 
indwelling  Holy  Spirit,  the  value  and  power  of  the  name  of  Jesus. 
By  faith  they  could  bring  this  power  to  bear  upon  every  obstacle 
in  their  way.  Nothing  could  stand  before  them.  They  were  act- 
ing as  the  humble  representatives  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  could 
be  intrusted  with  the  power  of  His  name.  Peter  was  not  slow  to 
make  this  plain  to  the  people  as  they  were  amazed  and  perplexed 
at  this  supernatural  manifestation  among  them.  The  God  of 
Abraham  and  of  Isaac  and  of  Jacob,  the  God  of  our  fathers,  hath 
glorified  His  Son  Jesus.  ''And  His  name  through  faith  in  His 
name  hath  made  this  man  strong,  whom  ye  see  and  know;  yea, 
the  faith  which  is  by  him  hath  given  him  this  perfect  soundness 
in  the  presence  of  you  all." — Ver.  16.  When  asked  by  the  high 
priest,  by  what  power  or  by  what  name  they  had  done  this  won- 
derful deed,  Peter  again  disavows  any  power  of  their  own, 
saying,  "  Be  it  known  unto  you  all,  and  to  all  the  people  of  Israel, 
that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom  ye  crucified, 
whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  even  by  Him  doth  this  man 
stand  here  before  you  whole." — Acts  4 :10. 

They  had  no  silver  nor  gold  to  give  this  poor  man,  as  he  lay 
begging  at  the  gate  of  the  temple,  but  they  had  something  of 


102  DIVINE    HEALING. 

much  greater  value  than  silver  or  gold — the  power,  blessing,  and 
glory  of  the  name  of  Jesus.  It  has  not  only  healing  virtue,  but 
there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men  whereby 
we  must  be  saved.  Praise  God,  this  name  has  not  lost  its  virtue 
during  the  centuries  which  have  passed  since  the  day  of  this 
blessed  miracle  of  healing. 

The  first  words  addressed  to  this  man  after  Peter  and  John 
fastened  their  eyes  upon  him  were,  "Look  on  us."  The  man  at  once 
responded,  expecting  to  receive  something  of  them.  Then  Peter 
said :  "  Silver  and  gold  I  have  none ;  but  such  as  I  have  give  I 
thee."  What  was  it  that  he  had  ?  It  was  the  power  of  the  name 
of  Jesus. 

His  purse  was  empty.  Like  the  true  ministers  and  followers 
of  Christ  to-day,  they  had,  no  doubt,  met  so  many  poor  and  needy, 
that  they  had  opportunity  to  distribute  all  their  cash  long  before 
this,  therefore  they  had  no  silver  and  gold  which  might  have  been 
a  blessing  to  this  man,  but  they  were  ready  to  impart  unto  him 
something  else,  which  proved  to  be  richer  to  him  than  all  the 
world,  and  that  which  all  the  gold  of  Ophir  could  not  buy.  "In 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk."  As 
these  words  were  spoken,  there  must  have  been  a  mighty  exercise 
of  faith  in  this  blessed  name.  By  divine  inspiration  Peter  saw  the 
necessity  of  works  with  faith.  And  he  took  him  by  the  right  hand 
and  lifted  him  up,  and  immediately  the  power  of  that  mighty 
name  snapped  in  sunder  the  awful  fetters  of  bondage  that  had 
held  this  poor  cripple  down  all  his  life,  and  his  feet  and  ankle 
bones  received  strength.  All  glory  to  Jesus  and  His  holy  name! 
Oh,  that  every  one  who  has  become  a  victim  to  the  oppressor 
m.ight  receive  the  same  precious  benefit  from  this  same  heavenly 
source. 


THE  EFFECT  UPON  THE  PEOPLE. 

They  were  greatly  amazed,  and  were  filled  with  wonder,  at 
what  happened  unto  this  man.  The  news  was  rapidly  spread  and 
they  came  running  together  into  Solomon's  porch.  Peter  took  ad- 
vantage of  this  occasion  after  explaining  the  miracle,  and 
preached  a  searching  sermon  to  them  upon  repentance,  and  the 
resurrection  of  Christ.  The  priests,  the  captain  of  the  temple, 
and  the  Sadducees  could  not  endure  this,  and  arrested  Peter  and 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  103 

John.  But  what  a  glorious  effect  upon  the  people  through  this 
one  sermon !  Acts  4  A  tells  us,  "Howbeit,  many  of  them  which 
heard  the  word,  believed ;  and  the  number  of  men  was  about  five 
thousand."  We  follow  on  into  the  next  day,  when  the  apostles 
were  brought  to  trial,  and  find  the  healed  man  standing  boldly 
with  them  before  their  persecutors  (verses  10,  14)  ;  and  in  verse 
21  we  are  told  that  all  the  people  glorified  God  for  that  which  was 
done. 

This  miracle  in  its  soul-saving  results  is  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  of  Jesus  concerning  the  "greater  works"  that  should  be 
done  in  His  name,  by  those  who  believe  on  Him,  after  His  ascen- 
sion to  the  right  hand  of  God.  This  truly  is  one  of  the  greater 
works.  Nowhere  in  the  ministry  of  Christ  do  we  see  at  one  time 
such  an  ingathering  of  souls  as  this.  Praise  God !  the  resurrection 
commission  is  still  in  force,  and  Jesus  is  ready,  in  every  case,  to 
work  with  the  faithful  preaching  of  His  word  and  confirm  it  with 
signs  following. 


ATTENDING  JESUS'   COLLEGE. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  107 


ATTENDING  JESUS'  COLLEGE. 

Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  attended  Jesus'  College.  Jesus  was  his 
tutor  and  preceptor.  By  inspiration  he  was  taken  up  on  the  mount 
of  transfiguration  to  get  power  like  the  disciples  of  old ;  had  to 
come  down  again,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  he  began  Lo 
heal  all  manner  of  diseases.  Reader,  if  you  want  power,  you  must 
ascend  the  mount  of  communion.  Let  us  not  see  the  face  of  man 
today  till  we  have  seen  Jesus.  We,  too,  shall  cast  out  devils  and 
work  wonders  if  we  go  down  into  the  world  girded  with  that 
divine  energy  which  Christ  alone  can  give.  It  is  of  no  use  going 
to  the  Lord's  battle  till  we  are  armed  with  heavenly  weapons.  W*^! 
must  see  Jesus.    This  is  essential.   ' 

Jesus  beats  all  the  doctors  diagnosing  disease.  He  never 
makes  mistakes  as  other  doctors  do,  and  furthermore,  he  never 
makes  any  mistakes  in  prescribing  the  proper  remedies  to  cure 
these  diseases.  His  medicine  is  the  elixir  of  life — an  infallible 
specific  for  every  disease  known  to  man  where  it  is  used  and  ap- 
plied strictly  according  to  his  directions.  His  cures  are  speedy. 
There  is  life  in  a  look  at  Him.  Our  Lord  Jesus  differs  from  all 
other  teachers.  He  teaches  at  His  college  heart  instructions.  Other 
colleges  reach  the  ear,  but  He  instructs  the  heart.  They  deal  with 
the  outward  letter,  but  he  imparts  an  inward  taste  for  the  truth 
by  which  we  perceive  its  savor  and  spirit.  The  most  unlearned 
of  men  become  ripe  scholars  in  the  school  of  grace  when  the  Lord 
Jesus,  by  His  holy  spirit,  unfolds  the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  to 
them  and  grants  the  divine  annointing  by  which  they  are  enabled 
to  behold  the  invisible.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  love  of  Jesus,  we 
should  have  remained  to  this  moment  in  utter  ignorance,  for  with- 
out His  gracious  opening  of  our  understanding,  we  could  no  more 
have  attained  to  spiritual  knowledge  than  an  infant  can  climb  the 
pyramids,  or  an  ostrich  fly  up  to  the  stars.  Jesus'  college  is  the 
only  one  in  which  God's  truth  can  be  really  learned.  Other  schools 
may  teach  us  what  is  to  be  believed,  but  Christ  alone  can  show 
us  how  to  believe  it.  Let  us  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and  by  earnest 
prayer  call  in  His  blessed  aid  that  our  dull  wits  may  grow  brighter, 
and  our  feeble  understandings  may  receive  heavenly  things. 

The  last  command  that  Jesus  gave  to  his  disciples  was  to  go 
forth  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  nation  and  heal  the  sick.    He 


108  DIV  l^N  E    E  K  ALIN  G  . 

bade  the  seventy  disciples  as  well  as  the  twelve  to  heal  the  sick, 
where  they  were  kindly  received.     They  shall  take  up  serpents, 
and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall  not  hurt  them.     They 
shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  they  shall  recover.     Now,  the 
record  shows  this:  that,  in  the  first  place,  God  healed  the  sick 
through  Jesus  Christ ;  now,  He  heals  the  sick  through  man  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ.    If  you  wish  to  heal  the  sick,  lay  your  hands 
on  them  and  speak  the  word,  through  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  they  will  be  healed.     We  are  told  in  the  IGth  chapter, 
18th  verse  of  Saint  Mark,  Jesus  commanded  His  disciples  to  lay 
their  hands  on  the  sick  in  His  name  and  they  should  recover. 
That  same  power  was  made  perpetual  to  all  of  Christ's  followers 
or  disciples.    When  the  afflicted  make  up  their  mind  that  they  will 
try  this  divine  healing  by  the  rules  and  regulations  as  set  forth 
by  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  in  his  wonderful  book  on  divine  healing, 
they  are  almost  certain  and  sure  to  meet  with  opposition  by  the 
Devil,  through  mortal  mind,  his  agent,  to  discourage  them  all  he 
can,  when  they  kneel  down  and  offer  up  prayer  to  God  for  light 
and  faith  and  healing  from  all  their  unbelief.     Satan  will  hinder 
you,  when  he  sees  that  you  are  earnest  in  prayer.     He  will  check 
your  opportunity  and  weaken  your  faith  in  order  that,  if  possible, 
he  may  make  you  miss  the  blessing  that  you  are  seeking  for.    Nor 
is  Satan  less  vigilant  in  obstructing  all  Christian  effort.     There 
never  was  a  revival  of  religion  without  a  revival  of  his  opposition. 
Brothers,  sisters,  do  not  get  alarmed  because  Satan  hinders  you, 
for  it  is  proof  that  you  are  on  the  Lord's  side.     Persevere  and  be 
more  firm  than  ever  in  order  to  conquer  and  win  the  battle.   Christ 
is  near  you  with  outstretched  arms  to  welcome  you  into  the  fold. 
God,  through  Christ,  will  give  you  strength  and  power  to  win 
the  victory  and  triumph  over  your  adversary.     Jesus  was  tempted 
as  we  are,  by  the  very  same  devil.     It  is  a  sharp  fight  which  you 
are  waging,  but  Jesus  has  stood  foot  to  foot  with  the  same  enemy. 
Let  us  be  of  good  cheer.     Christ  has  borne  the  load  before  us, 
and  the  blood-stained  footsteps  of  the  King  of  Glory  may  be  seen 
along  the  road  which  we  traverse  at  this  hour.     There  is  some- 
thing sweeter  yet.     Jesus  was  tempted,  but  Jesus  never  sinned. 
Blessed  be  any  wind  that  blows  us  into  the  port  of  our  Savior's 
love.     Happy  wounds  which  make  us  seek  the  beloved  physician. 
Ye  tempted  ones,  come  to  your  tempted  Savior,  for  He  can  be 
touched  with  a  feeling  of  your  infirmities  and  will  succor  everv 
tried  and  tempted  one. 


THli  (;OOD  SAMARITAN, 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  Ill 

THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN. 
(LUKE  10:30-34.) 

**And  Jesus  answering,  said,  A  certain  man  went  down  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  which  stripped  him 
of  his  raiment,  and  wounded  him,  and  departed,  leaving  him  half 
dead. 

''And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  certain  priest  that  way; 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

"And  likewise  a  Levite,  when  he  was  at  the  place,  came  and 
looked  on  him,  and  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

"But  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was  : 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  had  compassion  on  him, 

"And  went  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil 
and  wine,  and  set  him  on  his  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn, 
and  took  care  of  him." 

The  good  Samaritan  did  not  say,  "Here  is  the  wine,  and  here 
is  the  oil  for  you ;''  he  actually  poured  in  the  oil  and  the  wine.  So 
Jesus  not  only  gives  you  the  sweet  wine  of  the  promise,  but  holds 
the  golden  chalice  to  your  lips,  and  pours  the  life-blood  into  your 
mouth.  The  poor,  sick,  way-worn  pilgrim  is  not  merely  strength- 
ened to  walk,  but  he  is  borne  on  eagles'  wings.  Glorious  gospel ! 
which  provides  everything  for  the  helpless,  which  draws  nigh 
to  us  when  we  cannot  reach  after  it — ^brings  us  grace  before  we 
seek  for  grace !  Here  is  as  much  glory  in  the  giving  as  in  the 
gift.  Happy  people  who  have  the  Holy  Ghost  to  bring  Jesus  to 
them. 

Whoever  the  traveler  may  be,  he  has  but  to  knock  at  the  door 
of  St.  Cross  Hospital,  and  there  is  the  dole  of  bread  for  him. 
Jesus  Christ  so  loveth  sinners  that  He  has  built  a  St.  Cross  Hos- 
pital, so  that  whenever  a  sinner  is  hungry,  he'has  but  to  knock  and 
have  his  wants  supplied.  Nay ;  He  has  done  better ;  He  has 
attached  to  this  Hospital  of  the  Cross  a  bath,  and  whenever  a  soul 
is  black  and  filthy,  it  has  but  to  go  there  and  be  washed.  The 
fountain  is  always  full,  always  efficacious.  No  sinner  ever  went 
into  it  and  found  that  it  could  not  wash  away  his  stains.  Sini» 
which  were  scarlet  and  crimson  have  all  disappeared,  and  the 
sinner  has  become  whiter  than  snow.  As  if  this  were  not  enough, 
there  is  attached  to  this  Hospital  of  the  Cross  a  wardrobe,  and  a 


112  DIVIDE    H  EALING. 

sinner,  making  application  simply  as  a  sinner,  may  be  clothed 
from  head  to  foot;  and  if  he  wishes  to  be  a  soldier,  he  may  not 
merely  have  a  garment  for  ordinary  wear,  but  armor  which  shall 
cover  him  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  to  the  crown  of  his  head.  If  iie 
asks  for  a  sword,  he  shall  have  that  given  to  him,  and  a  shield 
too.  Nothing  that  is  good  for  him  shall  be  denied  him.  He  shall 
have  spending  money  so  long  as  he  lives ;  and  he  shall  have  an 
eternal  heritage  of  glorious  treasure  when  he  enters  into  the  joy 
of  his  Lord.  If  all  these  things  are  to  be  had  by  merely  knocking 
at  mercy's  door,  O,  my  friends,  knock  hard  this  morning,  and  ask 
large  things  of  thy  generous  Lord. 

ABSENT  TREATMENT. 

The  science  of  divine  healing  can  heal  the  sick  who  are  absent 
from  their  healers,  as  well  as  those  present,  since  space  is  no 
obstacle  to  mind.  This  has  been  fully  demonstrated  by  both  God 
and  Christ,  also  by  St.  Paul. 

God  sent  His  word  and  healed  them. — Psalm  107  :20. 

In  Genesis,  20th  chapter,  17th  verse,  we  read  that  Abimelech, 
the  friend  of  Abraham,  was  taken  sick  and  nigh  unto  death,  anil 
Abraham  prayed  unto  God  and  God  healed  Abinelech. 

Jesus  could  heal  at  a  distance  and  without  seeing  the  object 
of  His  miraculous  cure,  as  He  did  the  nobleman's  son — ^John 
-t  :46-o3  ;  and  the  centurion's  servant — Luke  7  :1-10.  He  could 
heal  with  a  word,  without  a  touch,  as  He  did  the  ten  lepers — Luke 
17  :11-19 ;  and  the  two  blind  men  near  Jericho — Matthew  20 : 
29-34.  He  could  heal  without  a  word  or  a  conscious  touch  on 
His  part,  as  in  the  case  of  the  woman  having  an  issue  of  blood — 
Matthew  9  :20-22.  He  could  heal  with  a  touch  and  a  word,  a? 
in  the  case  of  Peter's  wife's  mother — Matthew  8  :14-16  ;  and  the 
woman  with  the  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years — Luke  13  :11-13. 
God  wrought  special  miracles  by  the  hands  of  Paul,  so  that  from 
his  body  were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs  or  aprons,  and 
the  diseases  departed  from  them  and  the  evil  spirits  went  out  of 
them.— Acts  19  :11-12. 

All  of  these  miracles  were  done  by  absent  treatment.  The 
reader  can  see  at  once  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  absence. 
Why?  Because  God  is  omnipresent.  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  treats 
his  patients  by  the  rules  and  regulations  adopted  by  Jesus  and 
Saint  Paul.  He  blesses  handkerchiefs  and  sends  to  his  patients,  to- 
gether with  his  other  treatments. 


THE  PALSIED  MAN  LET  DOWN  THROUGH  THE  ROOF. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE.  115 

THE  PALSIED  MAN  LET  DOWN  THROUGH  THE  ROOF. 

(mark  2  :l-5.) 

*'And  again  He  entered  into  Capernaum  after  some  days ;  and 
it  was  noised  that  He  was  in  the  house. 

"And  straightway  many  were  gathered  together,  insomuch  that 
there  was  no  room  to  receive  ihemj  no,  not  so  much  as  about  the 
door ;  and  He  preached  the  word  unto  them. 

**And  they  come  unto  Him,  bringing  one  sick  of  the  palsy, 
which  was  borne  of  four. 

*'And  when  they  could  not  come  nigh  unto  Him  for  the  press, 
they  uncovered  the  roof  where  He  was :  and  when  they  had  broken 
it  up,  they  let  down  the  bed  whereon  the  sick  of  the  palsy  lay. 

"When  Jesus  saw  their  faith,  He  said  unto  the  sick  of  the 
palsy,  Son,  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee." 

Faith  is  full  of  inventions.  The  house  was  full,  a  crowd 
blocked  up  the  door,  but  faith  found  a  way  of  getting  at  the  Lord 
and  placing  the  palsied  man  before  Him.  If  we  cannot  get  sinners 
where  Jesus  is  by  ordinary  methods,  we  must  use  extraordinary 
ones.  It  seems,  according  to  Luke  5  :19,  that  a  tiling  had  to  be  re- 
moved, which  would  make  dust  and  cause  a  measure  of  danger  to 
those  below ;  but  where  the  case  is  very  urgent,  we  must  not  mind 
running  some  risks  and  shocking  some  proprieties.  Jesus  was 
there  to  heal,  and  therefore  fall  what  might,  faith  ventured  all  so 
that  her  poor  paralyzed  charge  might  have  his  sins  forgiven. 
O  that  we  had  more  daring  faith  among  us !  Cannot  we,  dear 
reader,  seek  it  this  morning  for  ourselves  and  for  our  fellow-work- 
ers, and  will  we  not  try  today  to  perform  some  gallant  act  for  the 
love  of  souls  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  ? 

The  world  is  constantly  inventing;  genius  serves  all  the  pur- 
poses of  human  desire;  cannot  faith  invent,  too,  and  reach  by 
some  new  means  the  outcasts  who  lie  perishing  around  us?  It 
was  the  presence  of  Jesus  which  excited  victorious  courage  in  the 
four  bearers  of  the  palsied  man :  is  not  the  Lord  among  us  now  ? 
Have  we  seen  His  face  for  ourselves  this  morning  ?  Have  we  felt 
His  healing  power  in  our  own  souls?  If  so,  then  through  door, 
through  window,  or  through  roof,  let  us,  breaking  through  all  im- 
pediments, labor  to  bring  poor  souls  to  Jesus.    All  means  are  good 


116  DIVINE    HEALING. 

and  decorous  when  faith  and  love  are  truly  set  on  winning  souls. 
If  hunger  for  bread  can  break  through  stone  walls,  surely  hunger 
for  souls  is  not  to  be  hindered  in  its  efforts.  O  Lord,  make  us  quick 
to  suggest  methods  of  reaching  Thy  poor  sin-sick  ones,  and  bold  to 
carry  them  out  at  all  hazards. 


HEALING  OF  THE  CANAANITE'S  DAUGHTER. 
(mark  7:25-29.) 

''For  a  certain  woman,  whose  young  daughter  had  an  unclean 
spirit,  heard  of  Him,  and  came  and  fell  at  His  feet. 

"The  woman  was  a  Greek,  a  Syrophenician  by  nation ;  and  she 
besought  Him  that  He  would  cast  forth  the  devil  out  of  her 
daughter. 

"But  Jesus  said  unto  her.  Let  the  children  first  be  filled :  for  it 
is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast  it  unto  the  dogs. 

"And  she  answered  and  said  unto  Him,  Yes,  Lord  :  yet  the  dogs 
under  the  table  eat  of  the  children's  crumbs. 

"And  He  said  unto  her.  For  this  saying  go  thy  way ;  the  devil 
is  gone  out  of  thy  daughter." 

This  woman  gained  comfort  in  her  misery  by  thinking  great 
THOUGHTS  OF  Christ.  The  Master  had  talked  about  the  child- 
ren's bread :  "Now,"  argued  she,  "since  Thou  art  the  Master  of 
the  table  of  grace,  I  know  that  Thou  art  a  generous  housekeeper, 
and  there  is  sure  to  be  abundance  of  bread  on  Thy  table ;  there  will 
be  such  an  abundance  for  the  children  that  there  will  be  crumbs  to 
throw  on  the  floor  for  the  dogs,  and  the  children  will  fare  none  the 
worse  because  the  dogs  are  fed."  She  thought  Him  one  who 
kept  so  good  a  table  that  all  she  needed  would  only  be  a  crumb  in 
comparison ;  yet  remember,  what  she  wanted  was  to  have  the  devil 
cast  out  of  her  daughter.  It  was  a  very  great  thing  to  her,  but  she 
had  such  a  high  esteem  of  Christ,  that  she  said,  "It  is  nothing  to 
Him,  it  is  but  a  crumb  for  Christ  to  give." 

When  the  Syrophenician  woman  came  to  Jesus  for  the  healing 
of  her  daughter,  Jesus  told  her  that  it  was  not  meet  to  take  the 
children's  bread  and  cast  it  to  dogs.  Matt.  15  :2().  Here  we  see  that 
healing  was  provided  for  God's  children — was  actually  their  bread. 
Now  we  know  naturally  that  bread  is  considered  the  staff  of  life, 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  117 

and  if  Jesus  called  healing  the  children's  bread  we  would  infer 
that  it  must  be  something  very  necessary  in  order  to  maintain  life 
— both  natural  and  spiritual. 

We  see  by  Christ's  life  when  here,  that  healing  was  a  great  part 
of  His  ministry;  '*for  He  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages, 
teaching  the  gospel  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every  disease 
among  the  people."  And  when  He  sent  out  His  disciples  He  com- 
missioned them  with  the  same  power,  but  He  told  them 
to  go  only  among  the  children,  or  the  house  of  Israel; 
as  much  as  to  say :  Carry  this  bread  to  the  children ;  for  I 
have  bought  it  for  them  with  my  own  blood.  How  grieved  He 
must  be  today  when  His  own  children  will  not  accept  of  this 
precious  food,  which  He  purchased  and  for  which  He  paid  such  a 
great  price !  I  am  sure  He  is  moved  today  with  just  as  much  com- 
passion as  He  was  when  here  when  He  saw  His  children  under  the 
galling  yoke  of  disease.  He  knows  the  remedy  is  at  hand  and  that 
we  have  the  knowledge  of  it ;  for  we  have  it  in  His  written  word. 
Matt.  8  :16  says :  ''When  the  even  was  come,  they  brought  unto 
Him  many  that  were  possessed  with  devils :  and  He  cast  out  the 
spirits  with  His  word  and  healed  all  that  were  sick :  that  it  might  be 
fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying.  Himself 
took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses." 

It  was  prophesied  before  He  came  that  healing  was  to  be  a 
part  of  His  work,  and  when  the  Israel  of  God  came  to  Him  for  their 
bread  He  was  compelled  to  give  it  to  them.  Why  ?  Because  God's 
word  had  gone  out  that  He  would  send  a  deliverer ;  and  now  He 
was  come,  and  the  children  naturally  came  in  for  their  inheritance 
and  Jesus  had  to  give  it  to  them.  Not  only  so,  but  He  loved  to 
give  it  to  them ;  for  had  He  not  paid  dearly  enough  for  it  ?  Ah !  all 
the  way  He  had  to  keep  from  giving  was  to  hide  Himself  where 
they  could  not  find  Him  for  a  while.  This  was  His  work  given 
to  Him  by  His  own  Father,  and  Jesus  Himself  testified  even  by 
prophecy  years  before  He  came,  that  He  delighted  to  do  the 
Father's  will.  Could  He  refrain  from  it  when  the  opportunity 
came?    No,  no. 

Then,  too,  giving  is  one  of  the  natural  laws  of  God.  Could  He 
refuse  His  own  children  when  they  came  in  such  great  need  and 
distress  ?  No ;  it  would  be  impossible  for  God  to  do  the  like.  It  is 
give^  give,  give,  with  God.  Will  you  receive?  Children  of  God, 
let  us  wake  up  to  our  privileges.    When  these  things  are  provided 


118  DIVINE    HEALING. 

for  the  children,  and  even  the  dogs  can  get  crumbs,  why  are  we  so 
far  away  from  Father's  graciously  provided  table,  which  is  loaded 
with  all  needed  benefits?  My  children  know  that  their  father 
always  has  bread  in  the  house — that  is  what  he  works  for,  in  order 
to  always  have  a  supply  on  hand.  They  feel  perfectly  free  to  take 
of  it.  They  just  feel  that  all  that  belongs  to  father,  belongs  to  them. 
They  say,  'This  is  ours,"  That  is  ours."  Why?  Because  it  belongs 
to  father,  and  they  are  partakers  with  father.  They  sit  down  to 
father's  table  and  partake  of  all  that  father  has  provided.  They 
are  not  slow  to  do  it,  either.  They  take  no  thought  for  it ;  for  they 
think  that  is  father's  part  to  do.  Really  they  do  not  think  much  if 
anything  about  it  until  they  want  it.  Then  they  come  and  get  what 
they  need. 

When  the  blind  man  was  healed  (Jno.  9:31)  he  in  answering 
the  revilers'  questions  said :  ''Now  we  know  that  God  heareth  not 
sinners ;  but  if  any  man  be  a  worshiper  of  God,  and  doeth  His  will, 
him  He  heareth."  Here  again  we  see  it  is  for  God's  children,  or 
those  who  worship  Him  and  do  His  will.  Those  who  do  not  do  His 
will  cannot  expect  to  share  the  children's  portion.  If  they  come 
to  Him  in  a  humble  attitude  and  give  God  His  place  and  they  take 
their  place,  then  He  will  hear  them  by  making  them  His  children ; 
for  He  adopts  children  into  His  family  and  they  become  full, heirs- 
Praise  God !  We  see  that  when  the  one  came,  even  taking  the 
dogs'  place,  she  came  zvorshiping  Him;  and  how  could  He  refuse, 
even  though  He  was  not  ready  yet  to  reach  out  His  blessings  to 
others  than  the  then  chosen  of  God?  But  we  see  she  came  in 
God's  way,  and  Jesus  knew  it,  and  He  was  compelled  to  give  it  to 
her.  Compelled  seems  like  a  strong  term,  but  when  any  one 
comes  in  God's  way.  He  is  obliged  to  grant  the  petition,  because 
of  His  word,  which  must  be  fulfilled.  It  has  gone  out,  and  "He 
magnifies  His  word  above  His  name" ;  and  so  when  we  come  on 
His  word.  He  will  grant  our  requests. 

Abraham  believed  God  and  it  was  counted  to  him  for  righteous- 
ness. He  simply  believed  that  when  God  made  a  promise  He 
would  fulfill  it.  Today  we  are  too  wise  of  our  own  selves  to  believe 
God.  We  want  to  see  and  understand  how  He  does  it,  and  not 
simply  like  a  child  just  believe  He  will  do  for  us  what  we  need. 
Faith  is  believing  God,  and  if  we  are  walking  in  perfect  obedience 
we  zvill  believe  God. 

Many  say  that  they  did  not  have  or  need  faith  when  Jesus  was 
here,  that  His  faith  was  sufficient.     Look  at  the  leper  who  met 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  119 

Jesus  when  He  came  down  from  the  mountain — he  worshiped  Him, 
saying,  ''If  Thou  wilt,  Thou  canst  make  me  clean."  First,  he 
worshiped  God,  and  again,  he  knew  of  Jesus'  power  and  God's  will, 
or  he  would  not  have  come  in  such  confidence.  Jesus  simply 
said,  'T  will,  be  thou  clean."  It  was  done.  That  was  Jesus'  work, 
and  the  leper  knew  it.  They  knew  what  the  promise  was.  Were 
they  not  for  centuries  looking  for  this  same  Savior  and  Healer? 
And  did  they  not  have  the  knowledge  of  what  He  would  do  when 
He  came?  And  do  you  think  they  would  be  slow  in  testing  His 
ability  and  power  ?  If  my  father  said  he  would  send  his  agent,  and 
I  should  receive  of  his  fortune,  would  I  be  slow  to  receive  it  when  I 
saw  father's  agent  ?    No,  I  think  not. 


FAITH. 

Those  who  brought  their  friends  to  Jesus — do  we  think  for  a 
moment  that  they  had  no  faith?  No,  they  had  all  faith  in  His 
ability  and  power,  or  why  would  they  have  come?  Do  you  think 
those  who  were  carried  had  no  faith?  Surely  they  had  faith,  or 
would  they  have  consented  to  the  process?  Do  we  suppose  the 
centurion  and  his  servant  had  no  faith  when  he  came  to  Jesus? 
Ah,  he  knew  what  Jesus  was  willing  and  able  to  do ;  for  he  said,  '*I 
am  not  worthy  for  you  (the  Son  of  God)  to  come  under  my  roof 
.  .  .  Just  speak  the  word,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed."  And 
it  was  done.  They  came  in  assurance.  They  came  in  a  humble  and 
worshipful  attitude — not  in  doubts,  fears,  and  unbelief.  They 
gave  Jesus  a  chance  to  do  His  will.  We  seldom  do.  They  were 
full  of  faith  and  obedience  and  adoration.  We  come  full  of  doubts 
and  fears  and  unbelief.  We  live  far  away  from  God  until  perhaps 
some  calamity  overtakes  us,  then  we  run  quick  to  God.  Will  He 
then  hear  ?  He  may  hear,  but  He  may  see  fit  first  to  administer  a 
lesson.  Can  we  expect  the  blessings  of  Father's  house  when  we 
occupy  it  so  little  ?  It  is  he  that  dwelleth  there,  that  has  the  promise 
of  protection  and  deliverance ;  and  those  who  keep  His  command- 
ments, and  do  those  things  that  are  pleasing  in  His  sight,  that  are 
to  receive  what  they  ask  for.    1  Jno.  3  :22. 

Dear  brother  and  sister  in  the  kingdom,  it  is  our  portion ;  will 
we  have  it?  "Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows.  For  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgression.  He  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities.    The  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  on 


120  DIYiyEHEALING. 

Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed."  And  when  He  came 
and  finished  the  work  He  had  to  do  He  could  testify,  *'It  is 
finished."  So  His  bodily  presence  is  gone,  but  He  sent  His  Spirit, 
and  pledged  His  own  presence  in  the  Spirit,  when  He  says,  "Lo,  I 
am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Again,  "And 
these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe :  in  My  name  shall  they 
cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ;  they  shall  take 
up  serpents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 
them ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover." — 
Mark  16  :i7-20.  So  we  see  the  work  was  to  be  perpetuated.  When 
it  ceased  through  Him,  His  children  were  to  continue  the  work. 
He  commissioned  them  with  the  same  authority  and  power.  The 
work  was  not  to  stop,  for  He  was  to  be  with  them  even  to  the  end, 
working  in  them  such  things  as  were  pleasing  in  the  Father's  sight ; 
for  He  is  the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and  forever. 


THE  DEMONIAC  BOY  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  MT.  TABOR. 


^    O^-  THE 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  123 

THE  DEMONIAC  BOY  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  MT.  TABOR. 
(mark  9:14-24.) 

**And  one  of  the  multitude  answered  and  said,  Master,  I  have 
brought  unto  Thee  my  son,  which  hath  a  dumb  spirit ; 

**And  wheresoever  he  taketh  him,  he  teareth  him ;  and  he 
foameth  and  gnasheth  with  his  teeth,  and  pineth  away;  and  I 
spake  to  thy  disciples  that  they  should  cast  him  out,  and  they 
could  not. 

*'He  answereth  him,  and  sayeth,  O  faithless  generation,  how 
long  shall  I  be  with  you? 

"Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  pos- 
sible to  him  that  believeth. 

"And  straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out,  and  said 
with  tears.  Lord,  I  believe ;  help  Thou  mine  unbelief. 

"When  Jesus  saw  that  the  people  came  running  together,  He 
rebuked  the  foul  spirit,  saying  unto  him.  Thou  dumb  and  deaf 
spirit,  I  charge  thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  enter  no  more  into 
him. 

"And  the  spirit  cried,  and  rent  him  sore,  and  came  out  of  him : 
and  he  was  as  one  dead ;  insomuch  that  many  said.  He  is  dead. 

"But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  lifted  him  up ;  and  he 
arose. 

"And  when  He  was  come  into  the  house,  His  disciples  asked 
Him  privately.  Why  could  not  we  cast  him  out? 

"And  He  said  unto  them.  This  kind  can  come  forth  by  nothing, 
but  by  prayer  and  fasting." 

This  obstinate  case  was  a  mystery  to  the  disciples.  They 
asked  Jesus,  "Why  could  not  we  cast  him  out?"  Jesus  said  it  was 
because  of  their  unbelief,  and  that  this  kind  could  come  forth  by 
nothing  but  prayer  and  fasting.  Space  does  not  permit  much  to 
be  said  here  about  fasting,  but  there  is  much  to  be  gained  in  its 
scriptural  and  prayerful  practice.  It  may  be  unwisely  practiced, 
however,  at  times,  which  will  be  harmful  rather  than  helpful,  but 
where  it  is  observed  in  the  order  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is 
always  with  much  prayer,  it  is  a  means  of  great  blessing.  Prayer 
is  the  one  hand  that  takes  hold  of  the  invisible  things.  Fasting  is 
the  other  hand  that  lets  go  of  the  visible. 


124  DIVINE    HEALING. 

This  is  another  instance  where  one  was  possessed  with  a  devil 
who  was  deaf  and  dumb.  The  description  given  by  the  father  of 
the  child  is  expressive  of  Satanic  work.  It  ''teareth  him ;  and  he 
foameth,  and  gnasheth  with  his  teeth,  and  pineth  away:  and 
of ttimes  it  hath  cast  him  into  the  fire,  and  into  the  waters,  to  de- 
stroy him."  When  this  helpless  child  was  brought  to  Jesus,  the 
evil  spirit  immediately  demonstrated  his  destructive  power,  as  if 
to  utterly  destroy  him  before  he  should  be  cast  out.  He  has  suc- 
cessfully withstood  the  power  and  faith  of  the  disciples,  and  now  in 
a  bold,  daring  effort  of  defiance  to  the  power  of  Jesus,  seeks  to 
take  a  firmer  grasp  than  ever  upon  this  suffering  mortal.  The 
anxious  father,  half  believing  and  half  doubting,  entreats  Jesus 
for  help.  All  the  faith  he  had,  had  doubtless  been  staggered  by 
the  failure  of  the  disciples  to  help  him  in  his  great  need.  Jesus 
was  both  able  and  willing  to  grant  the  desired  help,  but  the  barriers 
of  doubt  must  first  be  taken  away.  The  one  little  word,  if,  in  this 
case  as  in  so  many  instances  of  our  own  experiences,  was  enough 
to  obstruct  the  blessing  that  Jesus  was  so  ready  to  give,  but  He 
quickly  instructed  the  father  of  the  all-importance  of  believing. 

Notice  the  conversation  between  the  father  and  Jesus.  The 
father  said :  *Tf  thou  canst  do  anything."  There  certainly  was 
not  much  faith  expressed  in  this  language.  Jesus  knew  the  heart 
of  the  perplexed  man,  and  helped  him  to  change  his  prayer  by  the 
time  he  had  ended  his  sentence,  ''have  compassion  on  us  and  help 
us."  Jesus  said :  "If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible 
to  him  that  believeth."  The  father  at  once  saw  his  position,  and 
cried  out  with  tears,  "Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief." 
This  is  a  wonderful  conversation.  The  words  of  Jesus  to  the 
father  and  the  words  of  the  father  to  Jesus,  teach  us  the  very 
principles  of  faith.  The  extreme  necessity  of  the  father  had 
prepared  him  for  the  desperate  grasp  with  which  he  laid  hold 
upon  the  words  of  Jesus,  which  told  him  the  possibility  of  faith. 
Had  he  but  said,  "Lord,  I  believe,"  he  could  not  have  reached 
the  promise ;  and  had  he  but  said,  "Help  thou  mine  unbelief,"  he 
would  have  only  confessed  his  lack  of  faith,  and  could  not  have 
reached  the  promise.  He  had  very  clearly  expressed  his  unbelief 
in  saying,  "If  Thou  canst  do  anything."  It  took  a  confession  on 
his  part  to  dislodge  it  from  his  heart,  and  it  also  took  more  than 
this,  it  took  a  desperate  effort  of  his  will  to  put  his  unbelief  out  of 
the  way.  Not  that  he  had  the  power  m  himself  to  put  it  away,  but 
to  yield  himself  fully  to  Jesus  and  use  his  will  against  his  unbelief, 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  125 

asking  Jesus  to  help  him  in  the  struggle.  He  did  not  have  sufficient 
faith,  and  he  was  conscious  of  his  lack,  but  with  tears  he  made  use 
of  what  he  had,  laying  hold  of  the  words  of  Jesus  with  a  desperate 
grasp. 

Despairingly  the  poor  disappointed  father  turned  away  from 
the  disciples  to  their  Master.  His  son  was  in  the  worst  possible 
condition,  and  all  means  had  failed ;  but  the  miserable  child  was 
soon  delivered  from  the  evil  one  when  the  parent,  in  faith,  obeyed 
the  Lord  Jesus'  word,  "Bring  him  unto  Me."  Children  are  a 
precious  gift  from  God,  but  much  anxiety  comes  with  them.  They 
may  be  a  great  joy  or  a  great  bitterness  to  their  parents;  they 
may  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  or  possessed  with  the  spirit 
of  evil.  In  all  cases,  the  Word  of  God  gives  us  one  receipt  for 
the  curing  of  all  their  ills,  ''Bring  him  unto  Me."  O  for  more 
agonizing  prayer  on  their  behalf,  while  they  are  yet  babes.  Sin 
is  there,  let  our  prayers  begin  to  attack  it.  Our  cries  for  our 
offspring  should  precede  those  cries  which  betoken  their  actual 
advent  into  a  world  of  sin.  In  the  days  of  their  youth  we  shall 
see  sad  tokens  of  that  dumb  and  deaf  spirit  which  will  neither 
pray  aright  nor  hear  the  voice  of  God  in  the  soul ;  but  Jesus  still 
commands,  ''Bring  them  unto  Me."  When  they  are  grown  up 
they  may  wallow  in  sin  and  foam  with  enmity  against  God ;  then, 
when  our  hearts  are  breaking,  we  should  remember  the  great 
Physician's  words,  "Bring  them  unto  Me."  Never  must  we  cease 
to  pray  until  they  cease  to  breathe.  No  case  is  hopeless  while 
Jesus  lives. 

The  Lord  sometimes  suffers  His  people  to  be  driven  into  a 
corner  that  they  may  experimentally  know  how  necessary  He  is  to 
them.  Ungodly  children,  when  they  show  us  our  own  powerless- 
ness  against  the  depravity  of  their  hearts,  drive  us  to  flee  to  the 
Strong  for  strength ;  and  this  is  a  great  blessing  to  us.  Whatever 
our  morning's  need  may  be,  let  it,  like  a  strong  current,  bear  us  to 
the  ocean  of  divine  love.  Jesus  can  soon  remove  our  sorrow.  He 
delights  to  comfort  us.  Let  us  hasten  to  Him  while  He  waits  to 
meet  us. 


126  DIVINE    HEALING. 

LORD,  I  AM  NOT  WORTHY. 

(MATTHEW  8:5-8,  13.) 

''And  when  Jesus  was  entered  into  Capernaum,  there  came 
unto  Him  a  centurion,  beseeching  Him, 

^  "And  saying,  Lord,  my  servant  Heth  at  home  sick  of  the  palsy, 
grievously  tormented. 

"And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  will  come  and  heal  him. 

"The  centurion  answered  and  said,  Lord,  I  am  not  worthy 
Jhat  Thou  shouldst  come  under  my  roof :  but  speak  the  word  only, 
and  my  servant  shall  be  healed, 

"And  Jesus  said  unto  the  centurion.  Go  thy  way,  and  as  thou 
hast  believed,  so  be  it  unto  thee.  And  his  servant  was  healed 
in  the  selfsame  hour." 

How  many  are  Thy  thoughts  of  love  ! 

Thy  mercies,  Lord,  how  great ! 
We  have  not  words,  nor  hours  enough 

Their  numbers  to  repeat. 

When  I'm  afflicted,  poor  and  low. 

And  light  and  peace  depart. 
My  God  beholds  my  heavy  woe. 

And  bears  me  on  His  heart. 

This  was  the  first  miracle  of  healing  in  Galilee.  The  fame  of 
Jesus  had  already  spread  abroad  because  of  His  miracles  at  Jerusa- 
lem. Many  believed  in  His  name  and  were  ready  to  testify  to  all 
men  of  His  wonderful  deeds  of  love  and  compassion.  This  noble- 
man heard  of  Him,  and  when  He  came  out  of  Judea  into  Galilee,  he 
went  unto  Jesus  and  besought  him  that  he  would  come  down  to 
Capernaum  and  heal  his  son,  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death. 

The  child  was  dying  with  fever;  the  father  would  naturally 
have  reached  the  end  of  hope  from  any  earthly  source,  and  knew 
of  no  other  help  until  he  heard  of  Jesus.  Like  the  centurion  who 
came  to  Jesus  for  the  healing  of  his  servant,  this  man  believed 
that  he  had  power  over  diseases,  and  when  put  to  the  test  believed 
His  spoken  word.     How  much  faith  the  child  had,  or  if  he  was 


MIN  D    AND    FAITH    CURE  ,  127 

capable  of  believing  at  all  or  not,  we  are  not  informed,  but  there 
is  abundant  evidence  of  the  faith  of  the  parent. 

This  instance  teaches  us  the  power  of  intercessory  faith.  The 
father  came  to  Jesus  with  as  deep  earnestness  as  though  he  were 
the  sick  one.  He  sought  help,  and  believed  for  his  dying  child. 
His  faith  answered  for  the  child,  and  brought  the  blessing.  The 
question  is  frequently  asked,  How  far  will  the  faith  of  some  one 
else  answer  for  an  individual  seeking  healing?  The  answer  may 
be  given  as  follows :  If  the  individual  is  living  up  to  the  full  con- 
ditions of  obedience  and  faith  so  far  as  he  is  responsible,  and  be- 
cause of  the  nature  of  the  sickness  or  the  peculiar  circumstances 
of  the  case,  or  for  any  other  reason  beyond  his  power  to  control, 
he  cannot  press  through  the  difficulties  and  obtain  the  blessing, 
then  the  faith  of  an  intercessor  will  add  to  the  power  of  his  own 
faith,  and  overcome  the  obstacle  in  his  way. 

The  father  was  intensely  in  earnest  in  his  appeal  for  help.  This 
is  a  true  characteristic  of  faith.  It  is  determined  and  fixed  in  its 
purpose.  Every  energy  must  be  united  in  the  one  aim.  Our  will 
must  will  to  obtain  the  answer.  "  What  wilt  thou  ?"  asked  Jesus 
of  the  blind  man  at  Jericho,  as  he  cried  out  the  more  a  great  deal 
for  mercy,  when  the  people  tried  to  silence  him.  '*  Be  it  unto 
thee  as  thou  wilt,"  he  said  to  the  mother  of  the  demon-possessed 
daughter,  as  she  persistently  clung  to  him  for  deliverance.  So 
we  must  will  to  have  what  God  has  provided  for  us  in  Christ.  We 
must  assure  our  hearts  that  what  we  need  is  God's  will  for  us, 
then  we  must  set  ourselves  to  have  it ;  not  with  a  will  independent 
of  His  will,  but  in  harmony  with  it.  This  nobleman  was  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  God's  will,  when  he  asked  for  the  healing  of 
his  child.  There  was  no  doubt  in  his  mind  about  this.  His 
whole  theme  was :  "  Come  down,  ere  my  child  die."  Would  that 
every  seeker  were  past  all  doubts  about  God's  will  to  heal,  and 
could  just  as  determinedly  concentrate  every  desire  into  the  one 
cry — there  would  be  many  more  present-day  miracles  of  God's 
healing  power. 

He  was  disappointed  in  the  way  Jesus  answered  his  petition. 
He  had  to  be  thus  disappointed;  for  he  had  previously  fixed  in 
his  own  mind  how  it  was  to  be  done.  In  this  respect  God  always 
disappoints  us.  He  will  answer  our  prayers  in  His  own  way, 
which  is  always  better  for  us  than  our  way.  This  is  beautifully 
taught  us  in  the  incident  of  Acts  12,  when  the  church  was  praying 
day  and  night  for  the  deliverance  of  Peter  from  the  hand  of  Herod. 


128  DIVINE    HEALING. 

Their  answer  came  with  a  great  astonishment,  not  because  of  the 
answer,  but  because  of  the  manner  in  which  it  came.  Because 
the  answer  to  our  prayer  does  not  come  in  our  own  time  and  way, 
we  should  never  permit  our  faith  to  fail,  but  on  the  other  hand 
we  should  intensify  our  earnestness  and  diligence  in  seeking  to 
know  the  reason  for  the  delay,  which  may  seem  for  the  time  like 
a  denial.  Jesus  helped  this  man  to  get  his  faith  beyond  signs  and 
visible  manifestations.  With  many  people  at  that  time  it  was  as 
it  is  now,  "  Seeing  is  believing;"  but  such  believing  is  but  weak 
and  unsatisfactory  in  its  results,  and  unless  quickly  outgrown  will 
leave  the  individual  in  a  helpless  condition.  In  the  better  under- 
standing of  faith,  believing  is  seeing.  "  Faith  is  the  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  He  was 
ready  to  exercise  real  faith  in  our  blessed  Healer,  even  though 
disappointed  in  having  him  come  down  to  Capernaum  with  him 
to  lay  His  hands  upon  the  sick  child.  He  had  no  outward  mani- 
festations to  lean  upon  now,  but  oh!  he  had  what  was  infinitely 
better,  the  spoken  word  of  Jesus. 


GO  THY  way;   thy   SON    LIVETH. 

''  And  the  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken  unto 
him,  and  went  his  way."  How  plainly  we  see  the  act  of  faith  in 
this  man.  He  zvent  his  way.  He  might  have  done  this  in  an  or- 
dinary manner,  and  found  his  son  at  home  as  sick  as  ever,  but 
there  was  something  unusual  in  his  trip  down  home  this  time.  In 
his  own  heart  there  was  a  sweet  peace  and  assurance  that  all  was 
well  with  his  child,  for  he  believed  the  words  which  Jesus  had 
spoken,  "  Thy  son  liveth."  Could  we  believe  as  much  if  we  heard 
the  words  of  Jesus  spoken  to  us  under  similar  circumstances?  It 
seems  reasonable  that  every  one  who  believes  in  Jesus  could  be- 
lieve everything  he  should  say,  especially  when  assured  that  His 
words  were  personally  addressed  to  him.  No  seeker  should  ever 
stop  seeking  until  some  one  of  the  promises  becomes  as  personal 
to  him  as  the  word  of  Jesus  was  to  the  anxious  father. 

This  is  an  example  of  intercessory  faith.  How  much  the 
servant  himself  believed  we  are  not  informed,  but  it  is  evident 
according  to  the  plan  of  redemption  that  if  the  servant  was 
responsible  to  exercise  faith  and  obedience  to  God,  his  faith  was 
one  of  the  requisites  of  his  healing.    In  case  of  an  infant  child  or 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  129 

any  adult  whose  affliction  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to  render  them 
irresponsible,  then  the  faith  of  an  intercessor  would  answer  and 
be  acceptable  with  God.  This  centurion  was  a  Gentile,  and  had 
little  opportunity  to  be  instructed  in  the  way  of  faith,  and  yet  he 
possessed  a  faith  that  eclipsed  any  one  of  those  in  Israel,  insomuch 
that  Jesus  marveled. 

How  true  this  is  in  humanity  today !  In  many  cases  those  who 
have  the  least  light  and  opportunity  have  the  most  faith.  This 
man,  however,  was  a  God-fearing  man.  Luke's  narrative  of  this 
event  tells  us  that  he  had  built  a  synagogue  for  the  Jews,  and  loved 
their  nation.  In  some  respects  he  was  like  the  centurion,  Cornelius. 
He  possessed  the  characteristics  of  faith ;  for 


HE   WAS   A  VERY    HU'MBLE   MAN. 

In  the  estimation  of  others  he  was  worthy  of  the  favor  he  had 
asked  of  Jesus,  but  in  his  own  estimation  he  was  not  worthy  to 
have  Him  come  under  his  roof.  As  a  Roman  officer  he  had  every 
advantage  of  rank  and  authority  to  become  proud  and  self- 
conceited,  but  how  beautifully  his  true  humility  is  shown  in  his 
words,  "I  am  not  worthy."  How  blessed  it  is  when  we  can  feel 
this  same  sense  of  humility  and  unworthiness.  It  is  here  where 
we  receive  the  blessings  from  the  hand  of  God.  On  the  other 
hand  there  are  instances  where  the  enemy  takes  advantage  of 
some  seeking  heart  where  this  unworthiness  is  so  deeply  realized, 
but,  thank  God,  we  are  not  offered  these  blessings  of  life  and 
health  upon  any  consideration  of  our  own  worthiness.  It  is  all 
through  the  merits  of  Christ.  The  more  unworthy  we  feel,  the 
more  we  exalt  the  worthiness  of  Him,  and  the  more  He  loves  to 
bestow  upon  us  His  priceless  blessings.  The  secret  of  the  great 
faith  in  this  man  lies  in  his  humility  and  sense  of  unworthiness. 
It  was  manifested  in  the  recognition  of  Christ's  absolute  power 
over  all  the  forces  that  exist,  and  also  the  power  of  His  word. 

A  word  from  Jesus  was  all  he  asked  for — ''Say  in  a  word,  and 
my  servant  shall  be  healed."  His  position  as  an  officer  enabled  him 
to  know  the  power  of  a  word  by  one  in  command.  One  word  from 
his  own  lips  demanded  implicit  obedience  from  the  soldiers  and 
servants  under  him.  One  word  from  his  superiors  was  of  great 
importance  to  him.  The  word  of  the  Roman  emperor  was 
supreme  all  over  that  vast  domain,  and  could  not  be  ignored  by  any 


130  DIVINE    HEALING. 

one ;  therefore  this  centurion  was  well  disciplined  in  the  power  of 
a  word  by  those  who  are  in  authority.  Now  he  recognizes  Jesus 
as  the  Christ  whose  word  is  the  word  of  God  and  cannot  be  with- 
stood. Distance  could  not  affect  it  when  once  it  had  gone  forth. 
It  must  be  obeyed.  He  was  waiting  for  that  word  to  be  spoken 
with  the  utmost  confidence  that  his  servant  would  be  healed. 

This  was  a  marvel  to  Jesus.  Here  was  a  man  who  being  a 
Gentile,  was  putting  to  shame  those  who  professed  to  be  the 
children  of  faithful  Abraham.  Some  of  them  were  persecuting  Him 
and  many  disbelieved  Him  who  should  have  been  obedient  to  the 
preaching  of  John,  and  been  prepared  to  receive  Jesus  as  the  Son 
of  God.  They  were  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  heirs 
of  the  promise,  but  through  unbelief  they  were  forfeiting  their 
blessings,  and  those  whom  they  despised  were  entering  in.  How 
true  this  is  in  these  days  !  The  professing  Christian  world  is  turn- 
ing a  deaf  ear  to  the  precious  truths  of  full  redemption,  and 
through  unbelief  making  the  word  of  God  of  no  effect,  while  the 
heathen  and  non-professing  smners  are  commg  in  through  repent- 
ance and  faith,  to  the  light  of  salvation  and  healing. 

The  answer  Jesus  gave  to  this  man  was  full  of  meaning  to 
every  seeking  soul.  His  faith  was  perfect  and  shines  as  a  bright 
star  in  the  gospel  heavens.  We  all  must  marvel  as  did  Jesus.  But, 
dear  brother,  did  you  ever  think  that  it  is  our  privilege  to  exercise 
the  same  faith  in  the  same  Christ?  Indeed,  we  ought  to  have 
greater  faith.  This  centurion  had  to  wait  for  the  word  to  be 
spoken,  but  to  us  it  is  spoken  already.  Jesus  said  to  the  centurion. 
"Go  thy  way;  and 


AS    THOU    HAST    BELIEVED 

so  be  it  done  unto  thee."  This  was  the  answer  of  this  great 
faith.  How  did  he  believe  ?  This  is  important.  We  have  consid- 
ered his  testimony  of  how  he  believed,  and  what  he  believed,  and 
see  that  he  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  pozver  and  will  of 
Jesus  to  heal.  He  believed  He  was  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God 
and  had  come  into  the  world  for  this  express  purpose — to  deliver 
humanity  from  bondage.  He  believed  it  with  all  his  heart,  and 
was  ready  to  render  strict  obedience  to  His  mandate  as  he  was  to 
Caesar  on  the  throne  at  Rome.  Praise  God  for  this  perfect  faith 
This  is  what  honors  Christ  and  enlists  all  the  hosts  of  heaven,  if 


M  IN  D    AN  D    FAIT  H    CUBE  .  131 

necessary,  to  bring  down  a  blessing  in  answer  to  prayer.  Do  we 
not  have  the  same  faith  in  this  Jesus  ?  His  answer  to  the  man  was 
simple.  It  is  just  so  to  us.  It  is  the  identical  answer  to  us,  '*As 
thou  hast  believed."  We  never  need  expect  another  answer  to  be 
given  us  than  this.  We  have  no  promise  that  God  will  ever  speak 
one  word  more  to  us  than  has  been  spoken  through  His  Son.  It 
had  to  be  spoken  to  the  centurion  before  he  could  go  his  way,  but 
to  us  it  is  already  spoken,  and  is  the  glorious  answer  to  every 
prayer  for  every  need. 

With  this  precious  Jesus  God  has  promised  to  give  us  all 
things,  but  it  will  be  given  only  as  we  have  believed.  Our  sins, 
our  sorrows,  and  our  sicknesses  were  all  spoken  away  on  Calvary. 
We  must  believe  it.  We  must  come  to  Jesus  with  all  our  ills,  and 
lay  them  at  His  feet  and  humbly  worship  Him  the  omnipotent  Sav- 
ior and  Healer.  Do  you  not  hear  those  same  words,  dear  sufferer, 
as  by  faith  you  behold  Him?  He  has  spoken  them  and  they  are 
sounding  in  the  heavens  and  earth.  Listen  prayerfully  as  you  lie 
at  His  feet.  Wait  on  Him !  Be  still,  and  hear  His  voice,  ''Go  thy 
way ;  and  as  thou  hast  believed,  so  be  it  unto  thee." 


^GOD'^Tlfl/S^ 


THE  SACRED  FOUNTAIN. 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CURE.  I35 


THE  SACRED  FOUNTAIN. 

The  sacred  fountain  that  was  opened  upon  Calvary,  to  wash 
therein  is  health. 

''Give  me  to  drink  that  living  water." — John  4 :10,  14,  15. 

Jesus  says,  ''Take  freely."  He  wants  no  payment  or  prepara- 
tion. He  seeks  no  recommendation  from  our  various  emotions. 
If  you  have  no  good  feelings,  if  you  be  but  willing,  you  are  invited ; 
therefore,  come !  You  have  no  belief  and  no  repentance — come  to 
Him,  and  He  will  give  them  to  you.  Come  just  as  you  are,  and 
take  "freely,"  without  money  and  without  price.  He  gives  Him- 
self to  needy  ones.  The  drinking  fountains  at  the  corners  of  our 
streets  are  valuable  institutions;  and  we  can  hardly  imagine  any 
one  so  foolish  as  to  feel  for  his  purse  when  he  stands  before  one 
of  them,  and  cry,  "I  cannot  drink  because  I  have  no  money  in 
my  pocket."  However  poor  the  man  is,  there  is  the  fountain,  and 
just  as  he  is  he  may  drink  of  it.  Thirsty  passengers,  as  they  go  by, 
whether  they  are  dressed  in  fustian  or  in  broadcloth,  do  not  look 
for  any  warrant  for  drinking;  its  being  there  is  their  warrant  for 
taking  its  water  freely.  The  liberality  of  some  good  friends  has 
put  the  refreshing  crystal  there,  and  we  take  it,  and  ask  no  ques- 
tions. Perhaps  the  only  persons  who  need  go  thirsty  through  the 
street  where  there  is  a  drinking  fountain  are  the  fine  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  are  in  their  carriages.  They  are  very  thirsty,  but 
cannot  think  of  being  so  vulgar  as  to  get  out  to  drink.  It  would 
demean  them,  they  think,  to  drink  at  a  common  drinking  fountain : 
so  they  ride  by  with  parched  lips.  Oh,  how  many  there  are  who 
are  rich  in  their  own  good  works,  and  cannot  therefore  come  to 
Christ !  "I  will  not  be  saved,"  they  say,  "in  the  same  way  as  the 
harlot  or  the  swearer."  What !  go  to  heaven  in  the  same  way  as 
a  chimneysweep  !  Is  there  no  pathway  to  glory  but  the  path  which 
led  the  thief  there?  I  will  not  be  saved  that  way."  Such  proud 
boasters  must  remain  without  the  living  water ;  but,  "Whosoever 
WILL,  LET  HIM  TAKE  THE  WATER  OF  LIFE  FREELY." 

He  who  is  a  believer  in  Jesus  finds  enough  ii^his  Lord  to 
satisfy  him  now,  and  to  content  him  forever  more.  The  believer  is 
not  the  man  whose  days  are  weary  for  want  of  comfort,  and  whose 
nights  are  long  from  absence  of  heart-cheering  thought,  for  he 
finds  in  religion  such  a  spring  of  joy,  such  a  fountain  of  consolation 


136  DIVINE    HE  ALIN  G. 

that  he  is  content  and  happy.  Put  him  in  a  dungeon,  and  he  will 
find  good  company;  place  him  in  a  barren  wilderness,  he  will  eat 
the  bread  of  heaven ;  drive  him  away  from  friendship,  he  will  meet 
the  ''Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother."  Blast  all  his 
gourds,  and  he  will  find  shadow  beneath  the  Rock  of  Ages ;  sap 
the  foundation  of  his  earthly  hopes,  but  his  heart  will  still  be  fixed, 
trusting  in  the  Lord.  The  heart  is  as  insatiable  as  the  grave  till 
Jesus  enters  it,  and  then  it  is  a  cup  full  to  overflowing.  There  is 
such  a  fulness  in  Christ  that  He  alone  is  the  believer's  all.  The 
true  saint  is  so  completely  satisfied  with  the  all-sufificiency  of  Jesus, 
that  he  thirsts  no  more,  except  it  be  for  deeper  draughts  of  the 
living  fountain.  In  that  sweet  manner,  believer,  shalt  thou  thirst : 
it  shall  not  be  the  thirst  of  pain,  but  of  loving  desire ;  thou  wilt  find 
it  a  sweet  thing  to  be  panting  after  a  fuller  enjoyment  of  Jesus' 
love.  One  in  days  of  yore  said,  "I  have,  been  sinking  my  bucket 
down  into  the  well  full  often,  but  now  my  thirst  after  Jesus  has  be- 
come so  insatiable,  that  I  long  to  put  the  well  itself  to  my  lips,  and 
drink  right  on."  Is  this  the  feeling  of  thine  heart  now,  believer  ?* 
Dost  thou  feel  that  all  thy  desires  are  satisfied  in  Jesus,  and  that 
thou  hast  no  want  now  but  to  know  more  of  Him,  and  to  have 
closer  fellowship  with  Him  ?  Then  come  continually  to  the  foun- 
tain, and  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely.  Jesus  will  never  think  you 
take  too  much,  but  will  ever  welcome  you,  saying,  "Drink,  yea, 
drink  abundantly,  O  beloved." 

The  sinner  must  come  to  Jesus,  not  to  works,  ordinances  or 
doctrines,  but  to  a  personal  Redeemer,  who  His  own  self  bore  our 
sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree.  The  bleeding,  dying,  rising 
Savior  is  the  only  star  of  hope  to  a  sinner.  O  for  grace  to  come 
now  and  drink,  ere  the  sun  sets  upon  the  year's  last  day ! 

No  waiting  or  preparation  is  so  much  as  hinted  at.  Drinking 
represents  a  reception  for  which  no  fitness  is  required.  A  fool,  a 
thief,  a  harlot  can  drink ;  and  so  sinfulness  of  character  is  no  bar 
to  the  invitation  to  believe  in  Jesus.  We  want  no  golden  cup,  no 
be  jeweled  chalice,  in  which  to  convey  the  water  to  the  thirsty,  the 
mouth  of  poverty  is  welcome  to  stoop  down  and  quaff  the  flowing- 
flood.  Blistered,  leprous,  filthy  lips  may  touch  the  stream  of  divine 
love  ;  they  cannot  pollute  it,  but  shall  themselves  be  purified.  Jesus 
is  the  fount  of  hope.  Dear  reader,  hear  the  dear  Redeemer's  loving 
voice  as  He  cries  to  each  of  us,  "If  any  man  thirst,  let  him 

COME  UNTO   ME  AND  DRINK." 


MIND    AXD    FAITH    CURE.  137 

'Tis  when  we  taste  Thy  love 

Our  joys  divinely  grow 
Unspeakable,  like  those  above, 

And  heaven  begins  below'. 

As  the  reservoir  empties  itself  into  the  pipes,  so  hath  Christ 
emptied  out  His  grace  for  His  people.  "Of  His  fullness  have 
all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace."  He  seems  only  to  have,  in 
order  to  dispense  to  us.  He  stands  like  the  fountain,  always  flow- 
ing, but  only  running  in  order  to  supply  the  empty  pitchers  and 
the  thirsty  lips  which  draw  nigh  unto  it.  Like  a  tree.  He  bears 
sweet  fruit,  not  to  hang  on  boughs,  but  to  be  gathered  by  those 
who  need.  Grace,  whether  its  work  be  to  pardon,  to  cleanse,  to  pre- 
serve, to  strengthen,  to  enlighten,  to  quicken,  or  to  restore,  is  ever 
to  be  had  from  Him  freely  and  without  price;  nor  is  there  one 
form  of  the  work  of  grace  which  He  has  not  bestowed  upon  His 
people.  As  the  blood  of  the  body,  though  flowing  from  the  heart, 
belongs  equally  to  every  member,  so  the  influences  of  grace 
are  the  inheritance  of  every  saint  united  to  the  Lamb ;  and  herein 
there  is  a  sweet  communion  between  Christ  and  His  church,  in- 
asmuch as  they  both  receive  the  same  grace.  Christ  is  the  head 
upon  which  the  oil  is  first  poured  ;  but  the  same  oil  runs  to  the  very 
skirts  of  the  garments,  so  that  the  meanest  saint  has  an  unction  of 
the  same  costly  moisture  as  that  which  fell  upon  the  head.  This  is 
true  communion  when  the  sap  of  grace  flows  from  the  stem  to  the 
branch,  and  when  it  is  perceived  that  the  stem  itself  is  sustained  by 
the  very  nourishment  which  feeds  the  branch.  As  we  day  by  day 
receive  grace  from  Jesus,  and  more  constantly  recognize  it  as 
coming  from  Him,  we  shall  behold  Him  in  communion  with  us, 
and  enjoy  the  felicity  of  communion  with  Him.  Let  us  make  dailv 
use  of  our  riches,  and  ever  repair  to  Him  as  our  own  Lord  In 
covenant,  taking  from  Him  the  supply  of  all  we  need  with  as  much 
boldness  as  men  take  money  from  their  own  purse. 

Call'd  from  above,  I  rise. 

And  wash  away  my  sin ; 
The  stream  to  which  my  spirit  flies, 

Can  make  the  foulest  clean. 

It  runs  divinely  clear, 

A  fountain  deep  and  wide : 
'Twas  open'd  by  the  soldier's  spear. 

In  my  Redeemer's  side. 


JESUS  WENT  ABOUT  ALL  THE  CITIES,  HEALING  THE  SICK. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  141 

JESUS  WENT  ABOUT  ALL  THE  CITIES,  HEALING  THE 

SICK. 

(matt.  9:35.) 

"And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  in 
their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and 
healing  every  sickness,  and  every  disease  among  the  people." 

Few  words,  but  yet  an  exquisite  miniature  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  There  are  not  many  touches,  but  they  are  the  strokes  of 
a  master's  pencil.  Of  the  Savior,  and  only  of  the  Savior,  is  it  true 
in  the  fullest,  broadest,  and  most  unqualified  sense.  'Tie  went 
about  doing  good."  From  this  description  it  is  evident  that  He 
did  good  personally.  The  evangelists  constantly  tell  us  that  He 
touched  the  leper  with  His  own  finger,  that  He  anointed  the  eyes 
of  the  blind,  and  that  in  cases  where  He  was  asked  to  speak  the 
word  only  at  a  distance.  He  did  not  usually  comply,  but  went  Him- 
self to  the  sick  bed,  and  there  personally  wrought  the  cure.  A 
lesson  to  us,  if  we  would  do  good,  to  do  it  ourselves.  Give  alms 
with  your  own  hand ;  a  kind  look,  or  word,  will  enhance  the  value 
of  the  gift.  Speak  to  a  friend  about  his  soul ;  your  loving  appeal 
will  have  more  influence  than  a  whole  library  of  tracts.  Our  Lord's 
mode  of  doing  good  sets  forth  His  incessant  activity!  He  did  not 
only  the  good  which  came  close  to  hand,  but  He  "went  about"  on 
His  errands  of  mercy.  Throughout  the  whole  land  of  Judea  there 
was  scarcely  a  village  or  a  hamlet  which  was  not  gladdened  by  the 
sight  of  Him. 

In  every  pang  that  rends  the  heart, 
The  Man  of  Sorrows  had  a  part; 
He  sympathizes  with  our  grief. 
And  to  the  sufferer  sends  relief. 

With  boldness,   therefore,   at  the  throne, 
Let  us  make  all  our  sorrows  known ; 
And  ask  the  aid  of  heavenly  power 
To  help  us  in  the  evil  hour. 


142  DIVINE    HEALING. 

THE  MAN!  BORN  BLIND. 

(JNO.    9.) 

Here  Jesus  teaches  us  that  there  may  be  cases  of  sickness  or 
infirmity  upon  certain  individuals,  regardless  of  any  transgression 
on  their  part  as  a  direct  cause.  Neither  this  man  nor  his  parents 
were  the  cause  of  this  blindness.  The  common  guilt  of  man  is 
the  door  through  which  sickness  has  entered  from  the  beginning, 
and  like  death  itself,  it  will  assert  its  power  whenever  permitted 
to  do  so.  This  blindness  from  birth  was  by  divine  permission. 
It  was  not  the  work  of  God,  but  was  thus  permitted  of  God,  that 
His  works  should  be  made  manifest.  The  gospel  teaches  us  plainly 
that  Jesus  came  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil.  In  so  doing 
he  was  working  the  works  of  God. 

In  this  marvelous  miracle  Jesus  required  a  very  humiliating- 
act  of  obedience  of  the  man.  To  submit  to  the  anointing  of  the 
repulsive  clay,  made  of  spittle,  and  then  to  go  to  the  pool  of  Siloam 
and  wash  it  out  of  his  eyes,  were  both  strong  expressions,  on  the 
part  of  the  man,  of  deep  earnestness.  Like  Naaman  the  leper,  he 
went  through  the  humiliating  process  and  came  forth  rejoicing. 
The  poor  man  had  but  a  limited  knowledge  of  Jesus,  but  his 
acts  proved  that  he  obeyed  in  faith ;  for  his  testimony  was,  ''  He 
is  a  Prophet ;"  and  as  soon  as  he  met  Jesus  and  saw  Him,  he  be- 
lieved He  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  worshipped  Him. 

Many  of  our  modern  believers  who  are  weak  in  faith  and  plead- 
ing for  remedies,  seem  to  find  much  consolation  in  this  case  of 
the  application  of  clay  spittle  and  the  water  of  Siloam.  A  few 
questions  may  be  suggestive  of  a  careful  reflection.  If  the  clay 
had  any  curative  power,  why  was  the  man  commanded  so  imme- 
diately to  go  and  wash?  Why  do  we  never  hear  of  such  cures 
to-day  by  the  use  of  clay  ?  Why  did  not  Jesus  instruct  His  disci- 
ples to  anoint  with  clay?  Why  do  not  the  advocates  of  material 
remedies  use  clay  in  a  similar  manner  ? 

There  are  many  theories  upon  this  subject,  but  in  our  con- 
clusions we  should  seek  to  keep  within  scriptural  bounds,  believing 
that  every  act  of  Jesus  was  prompted  by  the  mind  of  God  in  him, 
being  designed  to  inspire  faith  and  obedience  on  the  part  of  its 
subject,  and  demonstrating  His  power  to  heal.     All  remedy  the- 


MIN  D    Al^D    FAITH    CURE  .  143 

ories  have  a  weakening  effect  upon  faith.  The  more  we  can  com- 
prehend in  Christ  the  Divine  Healer,  the  less  all  material  remedies 
will  appear ;  and  when  faith  reaches  the  plane  where  "  Christ  is 
all  and  in  all,"  there  will  be  neither  room  nor  need  for  anything 
else. 


CHRIST  RESTORETH  TO  BARTIMAEUS  HIS  SIGHT. 
(LUKE  18:42,  43.) 

''And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Receive  thy  sight:  thy  faith  hath 
saved  thee. 

"And  immediately  he  received  his  sight,  and  followed  Him, 
glorifying  God :  and  all  the  people,  when  they  saw  it,  gave  praise 
unto  God." 

When  the  blind  suppliant  in  the  way, 

By  friendly  hands  to  Jesus  led. 
Prayed  to  behold  the  light  of  day, 

"Receive  thy  sight,"  the  Savior  said. 

At  once  he  saw  the  pleasant  rays 

That  lit  the  glorious  firmament; 

And,  with  firm  step  and  words  of  praise. 

He  followed  where  the  Master  went. 

Look  down  in  pity.  Lord,  we  pray, 

On  eyes  oppressed  by  moral  night, 

And  touch  the  darkened  lids,  and  say 

The  gracious  words,  "Receive  thy  sight." 

Then,  in  clear  daylight,  shall  we  see 

Where  walked  the  sinless  Son  of  God; 

And,  aided  by  new  strength  from  Thee, 
Press  onward  in  the  path  He  trod. 

WILLIAM    C.    BRYANT. 

This  man,  though  he  was  but  a  wayside  beggar,  possessed  a 
living  faith  which  obtained  a  blessing  that  the  wealth  of  a  king- 
dom could  not  obtain.  Like  the  two  men  already  mentioned,  he 
began  to  cry  out  for  mercy,  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  Jesus  was 
passing.     He  seemed  to  be  unable  to  follow  Him,  or  to  get  near 


144  DIVINE    HEALING. 

Him  in  the  great  throng  of  people.  All  he  could  do  was  to  cry 
out.  This  he  did  in  dead  earnest.  He  must  make  Jesus  hear.  The 
people  near  charged  him  to  keep  still,  but  he  gave  no  heed  to  his 
surroundings  or  to  public  opinion.  His  very  soul  was  all  absorbed 
in  the  one  object,  his  sight,  and  he  was  not  to  be  silenced  by  what 
men  might  think  or  say  of  him.  Instead  of  holding  his  peace,  he 
cried  out  the  more  a  great  deal,  ''  Thoit  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me/' 

His  cries  were  not  in  vain ;  neither  are  ours.  Jesus  never 
turned  away  one  seeking  and  obedient  and  earnest  soul  who  came 
to  Him  in  simple  faith ;  and  He  never  will.  The  ears  of  the  Lord 
are  open  to  their  prayers.  1  Pet.  3  :12.  Dear  sufferer,  do  not  be 
discouraged  if  you  should  seem  to  fail  with  an  ordinary  effort  to 
get  the  attention  of  our  blessed  Healer.  Examine  your  heart  and 
see  that  all  is  in  God's  order,  then  like  this  beggar  repeat  your 
cry  until  you  know  He  hears.  '*  Jesus  stood  still,  and  commanded 
him  to  be  called.  And  they  called  the  blind  man,  saying  unto 
him,  Be  of  good  comfort,  rise,  He  calleth  thee."  Ah,  the  cry  was 
heard,  the  call  reached  his  ear.  Behold  the  change ;  it  is  Jesus 
calling  now. 

Here  again  we  see  the  manner  of  personal  contact.  This  man 
did  not  seem  to  be  able,  as  the  other  two  blind  ones  were,  to  come 
at  once  into  the  presence  of  Jesus.  The  throng  was  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle  to  this  helpless  man,  but  when  he  has  reached 
the  proper  point  of  earnestness,  doing  his  required  part,  Jesus 
comes  to  the  rescue  and  bids  the  very  obstacle  assist  the  seeker, 
by  calling  him  into  His  presence.  This  will  be  just  as  true  in  your 
case  as  in  his.  What  you  need  is  the  living  faith  in  this  Healer; 
which  if  you  put  into  practice  like  Bartimaeus  did,  with  the  same 
determined  persistence,  Jesus  will  command  the  very  obstacles  in 
your  way  to  assist  you  into  His  presence.  They  will  stand  aside  and 
you  shall  have  free  access  to  Him.  There  is  no  real  obstacle  that 
can  stand  before  faith.  The  towering  mountain  which  obstructs 
the  way  must  move  from  its  foundation  and  make  way  for  the 
seeking  soul  as  it  moves  onward  in  its  progress  to  victory.  The 
struggle  may  seem  a  long  one,  the  cries  and  prayers  many,  but 
there  is  certain  victory ;  for  "  nothing  is  impossible  to  him  that 
believeth."  The  "  be  of  good  comfort  '*  will  be  heard,  the  glorious 
presence  of  Jesus  and  His  healing  power  will  be  the  reward  of 
every  faithful  soul.  As  this  man  came  into  His  presence,  Jesus 
asked  .him, 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE .  145 

WHAT  WILT  THOU  THAT  I  SHOULD  DO  UNTO 

THEE? 

Is  it  not  simply  wonderful  that  this  man  was  asked  such  a 
question?  He  who  had  been  crying  with  such  earnestness  for 
mercy,  now  has  the  honored  privilege  of  being  called  into  the 
presence  of  Jesus  and  being  asked:  "What  wilt  thou?"  This 
same  blessed  privilege  is  likewise  extended  to  every  one  who 
comes  to  Him  as  this  man  did.  He  did  not  come  to  Jesus  with 
doubt  or  uncertainty  about  His  will.  This  was  settled  long  before 
he  came  into  the  presence  of  Jesus.  He  did  not  come  asking, 
What  wilt  Thou  give  me  ?  but  Jesus  asks  him,  What  wilt  thou  have? 
The  Syrophenician  woman  was  granted  this  same  privilege  after 
she  had  humbly  taken  her  place  at  Jesus'  feet.  When  faith  has 
brought  us  into  this  condition  of  true  obedience,  we  may  have 
what  we  will.  The  man's  will  was  that  he  might  receive  his  sight. 
It  was  granted  him  as  freely  as  the  sunshine  is  poured  out  upon 
the  earth.  He  had  come  up  to  the  conditions  perfectly,  and  was 
thereby  enabled  to  diink  in  the  blessings  of  life.  He  was  now 
commanded  to  carry  away  his  blessing  and  show  it  to  the  world. 
"Go  thy  way ;  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole. "" 


THE  BLIND  MAN  WASHED  IN  THE  POOL  OF  SILOAM. 

"When  He  had  thus  spoken,  He  spat  on  the  ground,  and  made 
clay  of  the  spittle,  and  He  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with 
the  clay, 

"And  said  unto  him,  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam,  (which 
is  by  interpretation  Sent.)  He  went  his  way  therefore,  and 
washed,  and  came  seeing." 


the  man  at  bethesda. 

In  this  event  the  blind  man  had  friends  to  bring  him  into  the 
presence  of  Jesus.  He  had  not  the  obstacles  in  his  way  as  Bar- 
timaeus  had,  and  evidently  had  not  so  much  faith.  His  friends 
besought  Jesus  to  touch  him.    The  first  that  Jesus  did  was  to  take 


146  DIVINE    HEALING. 

him  by  the  hand  and  lead  him  off  out  of  the  town,  away  from  his 
friends,  into  his  presence  alone,  teaching  him  and  us  that  we  must 
become  forgetful  of  friends  and  every  surrounding  if  we  would 
have  our  faith  effectually  claim  the  blessing.  This  man  had  be- 
come so  dependent  upon  human  help  that  his  faith  in  Jesus  ap- 
parently was  quite  imperfect,  and  consequently  received  but  an 
imperfect  result  from  the  first  touch  of  his  healing  hand.  Ho 
looked  up  and  said  he  saw  men  as  trees  walking. 

There  are  cases  of  such  healing  in  these  days.  Because  of  an 
imperfect  faith,  there  are  corresponding  imperfect  results,  and  m 
some  cases  no  visible  results  at  all.  Many  seekers  never  get  into 
the  presence  of  Jesus.  They  do  not  seek  until  they  find.  Others 
come  into  His  presence,  but  when  He  begins  to  lead  them  away 
from  everything  else,  they  rebel  and  do  not  receive  the  blessing. 
In  many  other  ways  there  are  serious  reasons  for  the  seeming 
failures  which  skeptics  are  so  ready  to  point  out.  The  great  rem- 
edy for  all  this  is  a  perfect  faith.  If  the  healing  is  not  received 
in  the  first  application,  let  us  get  nearer  to  Him ;  or  if  the 
result  is  but  partial,  let  us  get  nearer  to  Him,  and  apply  for  a 
second  touch.  Jesus  is  just  as  willing  to  give  it  to  us  as  to  the 
blind  man.  Faith  will  bring  it,  and  we  shall  go  our  way  re- 
joicing. 

DIVINE  HEALING  IN  PROPHECY. 

Prophecy.  ''Say  to  them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart.  Be  strong, 
fear  not :  behold,  your  God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God 
with  a  recompense ;  He  will  come  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be 
unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the 
tongue  of  the  dumb  sing." — Isa.  35  :4-6. 

Prophecy  fulMled.  "Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go 
and  show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see :  The 
blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk ;  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
and  the  deaf  hear ;  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the 
gospel  preached  unto  them.  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall 
not  be  offended  in  Me."— Matt.  11 :4-6. 

Prophecy.  "Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried 
our  sorrows :  yet  we  did  esteem  Him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and 
afflicted.     But  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  147 

bruised   for  our  iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  our  peace   was 
upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed." — Isa.  53  :4,  5. 

Prophecy  fulfilled.  ''When  the  even  was  come  they  brought 
unto  Him  many  that  were  possessed  with  devils :  and  He  cast 
out  the  spirits  with  His  Word,  and  healed  all  that  were  sick :  that 
it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  say- 
ing, Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." — Matt. 
8:16,  17. 

Prophecy.  '*To  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners 
from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison- 
house."— Isa.   42:7. 

"The  spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me;  because  the  Lord 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek :  He  hath 
sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the 
captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound."  — 
Isa.  61:1. 

Prophecy  fulfilled.  *'The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
me,  because  He  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
poor ;  He  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliv- 
erance to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at 
liberty  them  that  are  bruised.  .  .  .  And  he  began  to  say  unto  them, 
This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears." — Luke  4 :18,  21. 

Prophecy.  "But  unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  arise  with  healing  in  his  wings ;  and  ye  shall  go 
forth,  and  grow  up  as  calves  of  the  stall." — Mai.  4  :2. 

"Bring  forth  the  blind  people  that  have  eyes,  and  the  deaf 
that  have  ears.  Let  all  the  nations  be  gathered  together,  and  let 
the  people  be  assembled :  who  among  them  can  declare  this,  and 
show  us  former  things?  Let  them  bring  forth  their  witnesses, 
that  they  may  be  justified;  or  let  them  hear,  and  say.  It  is 
truth."— Isa.  43  :8,  9. 

Prophecy  fulfilled.  "The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw 
great  light;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of 
death  light  is  sprung  up." — Matt.  4:16. 

"To  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow 
of  death,  to  guide  our  feet  in  the  way  of  peace." — Luke  1 :79. 

"And  great  multitudes  came  unto  Him,  having  with  them  those 
that  were  lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,  and  cast 
them  down  at  Jesus'  feet  and  He  healed  them :  insomuch  that  the 


148  DIVINE    HEALING. 

multitude  wondered,  when  they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the 
maimed  to  be  whole,  the  lame  to  walk,  and  the  blind  to  see ; 
and  they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel"— Matt.  15  :30,  31. 

To  the  mind  of  every  one  who  loves  the  truth,  the  preceding 
scriptures  of  prophecy  and  their  fulfillment  are  so  plain  as  to  need 
no  explanation.  Indeed  it  is  with  regret  that  the  thought  is  enter- 
tained for  a  moment,  that  it  is  necessary  to  make  any  remarks  upon 
what  has  been  written  by  holy  inspiration,  and  afterwards  so 
minutely  fulfilled.  Every  infidel  who  has  ever  read  these 
prophecies  and  then  read  the  life  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  must  in  his 
heart  acknowledge  a  beautiful  fulfillment.  Every  Christian  on 
earth  should  bow  in  reverence  before  God  for  this  wonderful  truth, 
and  give  thanks  to  Him  for  the  office  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  moved  upon  the  hearts  of  men  in  the  centuries  before  Pente- 
cost, and  spoke  through  them  of  the  life  and  sufferings  of  Christ, 
and  the  glory  that  should  follow,  and  who  now  shines  into  our 
hearts  and  makes  us  understand  that  this  Jesus  is  He  of  whom 
''Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write."  Ah,  more  than 
this.  He  enables  us  to  see  that  to  us  who  have  reached  the  end  of 
the  age,  and  upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  have  come,  it  is 
granted  that  we  may  apply  in  faith  to  this  living  word  and 
receive  healing,  and  testify  to  the  world  that  He  is  Jesus  Christ, 
the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and  forever.  Yet  there  are  many, 
and  it  must  be  said  that  the  number  are  largely  in  the  majority, 
professing  to  be  believers  in  Christ,  who  through  the  doctrines  and 
commandments  of  men,  are  blind  to  these  precious  truths,  and  the 
blind  leaders  of  the  blind  are  holding  these  masses  in  this  gross 
darkness. 

God  pity  them  and  grant  repentance,  that  they  may  come  to 
the  light.  Let  us  thank  God  as  our  Master  did,  that  he  has  "hid 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  them  unto 
babes,"  and  let  us  all  pray  that  we  may  remain  simple  enough  to 
take  God  at  His  word- 
As  we  turn  to  Isaiah,  the  ''Gospel  Prophet,"  we  see  him  on 
yonder  mountain  of  inspiration,  looking  through  the  telescoj^c 
of  faith  down  the  centuries  to  the  gospel  dispensation.  Behold, 
a  marvelous  sight  breaks  upon  his  vision,  and  he  cries  out, 
"O  Jerusalem,  that  bringest  good  tidings,  lift  up  thy  voice  with 
strength;  lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid;  say  unto  the  cities  of  Judah, 
.  .  .  Behold,  the  Lord  God  will  come  with  strong  hand,  and 
His  arm  shall  rule  for  Him.     ...  He  giveth  power  to  the  faint ; 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CURE.  149 

and  to  them  that  have  no  might  He  increaseth  strength." — Isa. 
40 :9,  10,  39.  "Then  the  eyes  of  the  bhnd  shall  be  opened,  and 
the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man 
leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing." — Isa.  35  :5,  6. 

He  sees  many  other  beautiful  sights,  but  we  can  only  take 
notice  of  a  few  of  his  wonderful  words.  ''Then  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  shall  be  opened."  When  ?  Then,  he  answers.  ''Then  shall 
the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart."  It  was  not  known  at  that  time 
that  the  eyes  of  the  blind  had  been  opened.  This  was  to  take  place 
in  the  gospel  age,  which  is  the  then  of  which  the  prophet  speaks. 
The  blind  man  who  was  healed  at  Siloam  testifies,  saying, 
''Since  the  world  began  was  it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened 
the  eyes  of  one  that  was  born  blind."  Blind  eyes  may  have  been 
opened  previous  to  the  life  and  ministry  of  Christ,  but  there  is 
no  mention  made  of  it,  and  it  is  plainly  stated  that  miracles  of 
this  nature,  and  those  mentioned  in  the  text  under  consideration, 
were  to  characterize  the  gospel  age.  All  who  looked  for  the 
Messiah,  also  looked  for  these  signs  to  accompany  him.  How 
wonderful,  then,  that  when  He  did  come  so  many  would  not 
believe  Him,  in  the  face  of  the  very  works  that  were  prophesied 
should  be  manifested.  The  trouble  was  they  did  not  believe  Moses 
and  the  prophets ;  "For,"  said  Jesus,  "had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye 
would  have  believed  Me,  for  he  wrote  of  Me." 

When  John  the  Baptist  heard  of  the  works  of  Jesus,  and  sent 
two  of  his  disciples  to  ask  if  he  was  the  One  that  should  come,  the 
answer  was,  "Go  and  show  John  again  the  things  that  ye  do  and 
hear  and  see.  The  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk : 
the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,"  etc.  This  was  suffi- 
cient evidence  to  the  inquiring  disciples  of  John  that  He  was  the 
Christ.  Jesus  did  not  answer  them  directly,  but  simply  referred 
them  to  the  works  that  He  did.  Who  but  the  Christ  could  do 
those  things?  Therefore,  they  could  easily  believe  in  Him.  He 
did  the  works  that  no  other  man  did,  and  all  whose  hearts  were 
not  blinded  by  sin  believed,  for  He  fulfilled  the  prophecy  which 
testified  of  Him. 

Again  the  prophet  speaks  of  his  vision  of  this  glorious  redemp- 
tion, saying,  "Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows." — Isa.  53  :4.  What  wonderful  tidings.  Is  it  possible 
that  every  grief  and  sorrow  of  our  life  has  been  borne  by  Him? 
Surely,  says  the  answer.  But  this  seems  too  wonderful  to  be 
true.     "Surely  He  hath  borne  them,"  comes  the  voice  of  inspira- 


150  DIVINE    HEALING. 

tion.  But  we  are  not  worthy,  we  all  like  sheep  have  gone  astray. 
We  have  fallen  among  many  sorrows.  Yea,  they  compass  us 
about  like  clouds,  and  we  are  pressed  down  and  languishing 
beneath  their  burdens.  ''Surely  he  hath  borne  them,"  says  God. 
Well,  that  is  wonderful,  but  there  are  so  many  of  us  who  have 
griefs  and  sorrows.  He  might  be  able  to  relieve  a  few  of  us,  but 
how  about  the  griefs  and  sorrows  of  the  whole  world?  "Surely 
He  hath  borne  them !"  Well,  then  we  will  just  obey  God  and 
receive  it.  We  will  believe  what  He  hath  done,  and  ever  live  in 
grateful  acceptance  of  His  infinite  mercy. 

It  will  be  profitable  here  to  notice  a  few  points  in  the  transla- 
tion of  this  text.  That  the  common  version  fails  to  bring  out 
the  true  meaning  and  mind  of  the  Spirit,  is  admitted  by  all  who 
have  given  due  attention  to  it.  It  is  also  very  conclusively  proved 
by  the  reference  to  this  text  in  Matt.  8  :17,  where  it  is  plainly  given 
us  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the  healing  of  all  manner  of 
sicknesses  and  diseases,  "that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken 
by  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying,  ''Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and 
hare  our  sicknesses."  This  is  the  true  meaning  of  the  text,  as  will 
be  seen.  We  can  praise  God  for  this  divine  interpretation  of  this 
verse.  It  so  unmistakably  tells  us  that  the  word  "griefs"  should 
be  translated  sicknesses,  and  "sorrows"  should  be  trans- 
lated iniirmities.  Truly  it  is  wonderful.  There  is  no 
shadow  of  perversion  in  this.  It  is  true  as  heaven.  The  enemies 
of  present-day  divine  healing  fight  this  position  with  great  persist- 
ency ;  for  to  admit  it,  means  to  admit  healing  into  the  atonement, 
which,  of  course,  opens  the  gateway  and  sends  the  stream  of 
primitive  healing  down  the  centuries  to  our  present  time,  in  the 
same  current  with  salvation.  This  the  Devil  will  not  admit  until 
he  must.    Let  us  rejoice  and  be  thankful  that  he  must. 

It  has  been  strongly  argued  that  God  does  not  heal,  since  the 
days  of  the  apostles.  But  when  miracles  and  testimonies  of  God's 
people  today  overthrow  this  argument  and  force  the  Devil  from 
this  position,  then  another  infamous  deception  is  advanced  ;  namely, 
that  healing  is  not  for  all  of  God's  children,  that  there  are  only  a 
few  special  favorites  in  His  family  upon  whom  He  sees  proper 
to  bestow  this  blessing,  and  that  healing  is  not  in  the  atonement. 
It  is  also  argued  that  the  statement  "Himself  took  our  infirmities 
and  bare  our  sicknesses"  was  spoken  of  as  in  the  past  tense,  and 
could  have  no  reference  to  the  atonement,  which  was  then  yet 
in  the  future,  and  that  the  works  of  healing  in  the  ministry  of 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  151 

Christ  were  all  done  before  the  atonement  on  Calvary  was  made. 
From  such  a  standpoint  there  would  indeed  be  but  little  to  be  hoped 
for  in  prophecy.  When  the  prophet  beheld  this  wonderful  sight 
there  were  many  centuries  between  him  and  Christ,  but  that  he 
saw  the  atonement  on  Calvary,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  ques- 
tion. Isa.  53  :o  helps  to  make  this  clear.  "But  He  was  wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the: 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes 
we  are  healed."  Who  will  dare  to  utter  one  word  against  this 
voice  of  inspiration  ?  Ah,  rather  let  daylight  blush  to  own  the  sun, 
or  evening,  a  star,  than  man  fail  to  recognize  in  this  wonderful 
scripture,  the  redemption  of  the  cross. 

Dear  reader,  take  your  Bible  once  more  and  turn  to  this 
precious  prophecy.  Oh,  what  does  the  prophet  see?  Do  you 
not  catch  the  holy  inspiration  of  glory  as  it  beams  from  his  face 
and  you  hear  his  wonderful  words?  The  world  is  wrapped  in 
darkness.  Sin,  disease,  and  death  are  dashing  their  angry  billows 
of  destruction  upon  the  ruined  race,  but  with  piercing  rays  of 
heavenly  light,  like  from  a  mighty  lighthouse  flashing  over  the 
dark  water,  he  sees  the  cross,  the  blessed  cross.  He  turns  back 
with  uplifted  voice  which  with  heavenly  clearness  rings  out,  and  is 
distinctly  heard  through  every  decade  of  history,  back  to  Adam 
at  the  fall,  and  then  looks  forward  to  the  end  of  time,  when  the 
last  son  or  daughter  of  the  race  of  Adam  shall  be  born.  We 
hear  that  voice  ringing  through  the  ages,  and  with  outstretched 
hand  pointing  to  the  cross,  saying,  "Surely  Himself  took  our  in- 
firmities and  bare  our  sicknesses."  Our  iniquities  are  all  laid  upon 
Him.  The  stroke  of  justice  which  we  should  have  received  hath 
fallen  upon  Him.  Beloved  sufferer,  let  us  rejoice  and  be  glad.  Let 
us  bow  down  and  worship  Him  who  was  nailed  to  the  cross 
of  Calvary,  and  let  us  also  cry  aloud  the  tidings  of  redemption,  that 
none  may  fail  to  receive  the  blessed  invitation  to  come  and  be 
free. 

It  has  been  taught  by  many  that  redemption  from  sin  is 
prophesied  in  this  text  and  it  applies  to  all,  down  to  the  end  of 
time,  but  not  so  with  healing.  We  would  ask  but  one  question 
here:  Who  has  a  right  to  subtract  healing  from  this  text? 
Beware,  lest  some  one  be  found  guilty  of  taking  from  the  prophecy 
of  this  book.  We  might  as  safely  subtract  salvation  from  this 
atonement  scripture  as  to  subtract  healing  from  it.  If  both 
were  to  be  weighed  in  the  balance  of  testimony  in  the  personal 


152  DIVINE    HEALING. 

ministry  of  Christ,  healing  would  have  the  advantage;  but  it  is 
not  our  object  to  thus  take  advantage,  but  rather  that  the  light  of 
divine  inspiration  might  be  thrown  upon  the  doctrine  of  healing, 
which  has  so  long  been  darkened  by  the  mists  and  clouds  of  un- 
belief. Instead  of  a  biased  faith,  let  us  reverently  come  to  the 
cross,  and  accept  the  full  redemption  purchased  there  for  us. 

With  respect  to  the  thought  advanced  concerning  the  personal 
ministry  of  Christ  not  being  the  atonement  on  the  cross,  and  the 
text,  ''Himself  took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses,"  conse- 
quently not  applicable  to  the  atonement,  we  will  simply  say  that  it 
took  the  whole  life  and  period  of  His  earthly  ministry  to  fulfill 
His  mission  of  love,  mercy,  and  sacrifice  to  our  fallen  race,  the 
earlier  part  of  which  was  but  the  beginning,  and  was  to  continue 
until  He  by  the  grace  of  God  ''tasted  death  for  every  man,"  and 
thereby  fulfilled  what  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  wrote 
concerning  Him.  Hear  His  own  testimony  after  He  rose  from  the 
dead:  "Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer." 
—Luke  24 :46. 

We  cannot  refrain  from  adding  the  testimony  of  some  of  the 
ablest  Hebrew  scholars  and  translators  concerning  Isa.  53 :4. 
One  of  the  best  gives  the  following  translation :  "Surely  our 
sicknesses  hath  He  taken  upon  Him,  and  our  sorrozvs  He  hath 
carried  them."  Albert  Barnes  says  the  word  translated  griefs  in 
Isaiah  and  infirmities  in  Matthew,  means  properly  in  the  Hebrew 
and  the  Greek,  diseases  of  the  body.  Archbishop  Magee  assigns 
the  same  meaning  to  these  words.  In  Robert  Young's  translation 
of  this  verse  we  read,  ''Surely  our  sicknesses  He  hath  home,  and 
our  pains  He  hath  carried  them."  Isaac  Leeser  translates :  ''But 
only  our  diseases  did  He  hear  Himself ,  and  our  pains  He  carried.^' 
Other  valuable  testimony  might  be  added,  but  certainly  it  is  not 
needed  by  any  who  have  a  willing  and  ready  mind  for  the  truth 
of  this  text. 

While  rejoicing  in  the  tidings  of  this  glorious  redemption 
through  the  words  of  the  prophet,  again  we  hear  him  sounding 
forth  in  holy  exclamation  these  words :  "To  open  the  blind  eyes, 
to  bring  out  the  prisoners  from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in 
darkness  out  of  the  prison-house." — Isa.  42  :7. 

Again  he  beholds  the  blessed  Redeemer  in  His  ministry  and 
compassion,  and  says,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me  :  because 
the  Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek ; 
He  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  153 

to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  are 
bound."— Isa.  61 :1. 

Were  there  ever  any  words  spoken  from  heaven  that  more 
beautifully  portray  the  life  and  character  of  Christ?  The  most 
skeptical  ought  to  be  convinced  of  the  divinity  of  prophecy  in 
these  few  verses.  Time  and  space  might  be  occupied  in  testimony 
to  prove  that  this  signifies  the  saving  and  healing  ministry  of 
Christ,  but  let  us  go  to  Him  direct,  and  receive  His  personal 
testimony  of  Himself.  As  He  returned  from  His  temptation  in 
the  wilderness  He  entered  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  into  His 
native  town.  On  the  Sabbath  day  he  entered  into  the  synagogue, 
and  by  permission  of  the  minister  opened  the  book  of  the  prophet 
Isaiah  to  the  very  words  we  have  just  quoted,  and  read  them  to 
the  people.  He  closed  the  book  and  said,  "This  day  is  this  scrip- 
ture fulfilled  in  your  ears." — Luke  4 :18,  21. 

The  reader  will  see  by  a  careful  perusal  of  connecting  state- 
ments, that  Jesus  was  fulfilling  this  prophecy  by  His  mighty  works 
of  healing.  While  He  could  do  but  little  in  His  own  country 
because  of  their  unbelief,  He  speaks  to  them  of  the  mighty  works 
He  had  wrought  in  Capernaum,  and  tells  them  why  they  are  not 
enjoying  the  same  unspeakable  blessings.  They  would  not  believe 
the  words  of  the  prophet  which  He  had  read  in  their  hearing. 

Why  did  the  widow  of  Sarepta,  and  Naaman  the  Syrian, 
receive  such  blessings?  Because  they  believed  the  words  of  the 
prophets.  This  was  the  secret,  but  the  people  who  professed  to  be 
the  children  of  Abraham  and  the  prophets,  would  not  believe,  and 
rose  up  and  thrust  the  Son  of  God  out  of  their  city  and  tried  to 
take  his  life.  What  blessings  they  missed,  and  what  divine  dis- 
pleasure they  incurred,  but  not  more  so  than  many  of  the  professed 
children  of  Abraham  are  doing  today.  Oh,  let  us  believe  the 
prophets  and  enjoy  the  glorious  provisions  of  mercy  through  faith 
in  Christ. 

The  Holy  Spirit  does  not  speak  these  prophetic  truths  through 
Isaiah  alone.  Just  before  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  inspira- 
tion, we  hear  the  voice  of  healing  again  sounding  forth  to  the 
suffering  world.  Let  us  listen  and  catch  every  syllable  of  these 
words  of  cheer,  **But  unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  arise  with  healing  in  his  wings;  and  ye  shall  go 
forth,  and  grow  up  as  calves  of  the  stall." — Mai.  4:2.  This 
glorious  Sun  began  to  shine  in  fulfillment  of  these  inspiring  words 
when  Jesus  began  to  preach  repentance  in  Galilee.     The  people 


154  DIVINE     HEALING. 

were  sitting  in  darkness,  and  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death, 
but  Hght  sprang  up  upon  those  who  feared  the  name  of  Jehovah. 
The  sunrise  Hghted  up  the  heavens  with  His  glorious  brightness  of 
heaHng.  The  gloom  of  oppression  was  dispelled  from  the  sad 
hearts  of  all  who  came  to  him.  His  fame  went  abroad  throughout 
the  land.  The  Holy  Spirit  whispered  to  every  God-fearing  suf- 
ferer the  words  of  the  prophet,  ''Arise  and  shine ;  for  thy  light  is 
come  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee."  He  testifies  of 
Himself,  'T  am  the  light  of  the  world."  He  gave  this  'light  of 
life"  to  all  who  would  receive  it ;  His  wings  of  healing  stretched 
out  to  "whosoever  will."  How  brightly  this  glorious  light  shone 
during  his  earthly  personal  ministry!  The  cross  only  added  bril- 
liancy to  it.  His  ascension  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  in  the 
heavens  intensified  it  still  more  by  the  Pentecostal  glory  which 
followed,  until  the  whole  earth  was  illuminated  by  His  heavenly 
brightness.  His  "saving  health"  was  heralded  forth  and  all  who 
obeyed  his  voice  were  healed  and  grew  up  in  divine  strength  as 
"calves  of  the  stall." 

This  Sun  of  righteousness  still  shines  in  the  heavens.  His 
primitive  glory  has  not  diminished.  All  who  fear  His  name  find 
His  healing  wings  overspreading  them  and  dispelling  every  sick- 
ness and  sorrow.  The  dark  ages  of  superstition  and  unbelief  issu- 
ing from  the  bottomless  pit,  have  clouded  the  sky  and  darkened  the 
sun  for  many  hundred  years,  but  the  piercing  rays  of  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  have  penetrated  the  darkness  as  He  sinks  into  the 
western  horizon  of  this  gospel  day.  The  clouds  are  scattered,  and 
behold  the  glorious  light  is  shining  upon  the  suffering  world  as  in 
the  morning.  We  need  not  wonder  that  the  light  was  not  clear 
in  the  past  centuries,  but  now,  there  is  no  one  without  excuse. 
Prophetic  inspiration  tells  us  of  this  blessed  period  of  light  which 
has  followed  the  gloom  of  the  dark  ages.  But  it  shall  be  one  day 
which  shall  be  known  to  the  Lord,  not  day,  nor  night :  but  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  at  evening  time  it  shall  be  light." — Zech.  14:7. 
Thank  God,  the  Sun  of  righteousness  with  healing  in  His  wings  is 
shining  upon  his  people. 

The  keen  vision  of  prophecy  has  beheld  all  this.  The  Lord 
of  hosts  hath  spoken  it,  that  Christ  the  Savior  of  men  shall  be  the 
Healer  of  his  people.  Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and 
thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power,  and  might  be  unto  Him  for- 
ever and  ever. 


DR.  RICHMOND  WRITING  HIS  BOOK. 


T^ 


Rt 


^At 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE.  157 


DIVINE  HEALING. 

The  picture  represents  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond  in  the  act  of 
writing,  through  inspiration,  his  wonderful  book  on-divine  heal- 
ing, entitled  ''An  Illustrated  Pictorial  History  of  the  Life  of 
Our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Author  and  Founder  of 
Divine  Healing" ;  also,  giving  a  Biblical  history  of  Christ's  life, 
together  with  his  miracles  and  healing  powers,  and  giving  a  full 
and  complete  illustrated  account  of  all  the  cures  and  miracles  He 
performed  while  here  on  earth.  This  book  is  illustrated  with  many 
beautiful  pictures,  showing  Christ  going  about  on  His  errands 
of  mercy  and  doing  good,  and  distributing  the  leaves  of  the  tree 
of  life.  These  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  This 
is  the  first  and  only  book  of  the  kind  ever  written.  It  is  the  key 
to  the  scriptures,  and  unlocks  the  portals  containing  the  secrets 
of  divine  healing  and  reveals  them  unto  man.  It  is,  indeed,  a  book 
of  revelations  from  start  to  finish.  It  is  a  doctor  in  every  home 
and  should  be  in  the  hand  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the 
land.  It  teaches  them  how  they  can  heal  all  of  their  diseases. 
You  must  not  think  or  even  dream  that  you  can  grasp  these  gospel 
truths  by  a  simple  perusal  of  its  contents.  It  is  a  book  like  the 
Bible — it  must  be  read  and  re-read  and  studied  before  you  can 
understand  its  spiritual  works.  Then  you  will  be  able  to  grasp 
the  spiritual  facts,  which  you  have  never  yet  obtained,  which 
makes  it  the  best,  the  most  useful  and  valuable  book  for  man  ever 
written  outside  of  the  Bible.  It  contains  Christ's  own  words.  It 
saves  and  reclaims  the  infidel  and  sinner,  and  its  teaching,  when 
applied  by  the  spirit  of  God  Almighty,  will  heal  every  known 
disease.  It  teaches  what  man  ought  to  know,  and  it  teaches  him 
how  to  believe  it.  You  wonder  why  there  are  so  many  infidels  in 
the  world  to-day,  those  who  do  not  believe  the  Bible.  They  claim 
that  it  contradicts  itself.  The  Bible  is  all  right,  but  the  infidel 
is  all  wrong.  He  reads  it  literally  and  interprets  its  meaning 
through  this  material  and  mortal  man,  the  devil's  agent,  the  old 
deceiver  and  liar,  and  the  father  of  his  lies.  God  is  not  a  ma- 
terial being.  He  is  a  spirit.  In  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
verses  26  and  37,  we  read  that  God  created  man  in  his  own  image. 
Man  being  a  spirit  should  read  the  Bible,  God's  word,  spiritually 
and  not  materially.  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  read  Christ's 
words  and  works  literally  and,  of  course,  could  not  understand. 


158  DIVINE    HEALING. 

Saul  of  Tarsus  was  the  ringleader  that  stoned  Stephen  to 
death.  He  made  havoc  of  the  church,  and  entered  every  home 
of  Christ's  followers  and  dragged  them  to  prison.  The  Lord 
sent  a  thunderbolt  of  spiritual  lightning  through  Saul  and  struck 
him  blind,  and  he  was  three  days  stone  blind.  The  Lord  sent 
Ananias  unto  Saul  to  heal  him,  and  immediately  there  fell  from 
his  eyes,  as  it  had  been  scales,  and  he  received  his  sight  and  could 
read  spiritually  instead  of  materially,  as  he  had  been  doing.  Of 
course  he  could  not  understand,  and  he  did  not  propose  to  let 
any  one  else  understand.  Christ's  followers  read  His  words  spir- 
itually, and  of  course  understood.  When  the  scales  dropped  off 
Saul's  eyes  he  could  see  spiritually.  He  became  the  best  worker 
that  Christ  ever  had  and  did  more  for  God,  Christ  and  Christianity 
than  any  other  living  man,  outside  of  Christ.  To  the  sick,  to 
the  bedridden  and  forlorn,  I  say,  take  cheer  and  read  this  book 
spiritually  and  not  materially,  and  it  will  heal  you  of  every  ill. 
Your  diseases  will  gradually  disappear  and  it  will  seem  like  a 
dream  to  you,  and  you  will  wake  up  out  of  your  Rip  Van  Winkle 
sleep  into  a  new  being,  and  you  will  wonder  how  it  was  done. 
By  its  timely  use,  this  book  will  save  thousands  of  lives  annually, 
and  millions  in  money  where  the  book  is  read  carefully,  slowly 
and  spiritually,  and  where  its  teachings  are  followed  strictly  to 
the  letter  and  used  and  applied  strictly  and  according  to  the  spirit 
of  God  Almighty.  It  will  heal  every  known  disease,  which  places 
the  value  of  this  book  beyond  price.  Many  a  millionaire  who  is 
sick  nigh  unto  death  would  give  millions  for  a  remedy  that 
would  save  his  life.  This  remedy  is  within  the  reach  of  all,  both 
rich  and  poor.  This  medicine  is  free  to  all.  The  poor  street  beg- 
gar can  take  it  and  be  healed. 

Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond's  celebrated  book  on  divine  healing  con- 
tains the  formula  how  to  use,  take  and  apply  this  medicine,  which 
makes  this  book  very  valuable  and  even  beyond  price.  This  book 
is  handsomely  bound  and  contains  over  500  pages,  and  is  an  orna- 
ment to  any  library.  Price  $5.00.  I  insist  that  every  patient  that  I 
treat  must  secure  a  copy  of  this  book  and  read  it,  as  the  facts  con- 
tained therein  constitute  the  major  part  of  my  treatment.  These 
facts  they  can  only  secure  by  reading  the  book.  Send  me  $15.00 
— $10.00  to  pay  for  one  month's  treatment  and  $5.00  to  pay  for 
the  book.  In  treating  the  sick,  I  follow  the  rules  and  methods  of 
treatment  adopted  by  Jesus  and  Saint  Paul.  In  giving  absent  treat- 
ment, I  bless  handkerchiefs  and  send  to  my  patients,  together  with 
my  other  treatments.     When  remitting  money  to  me,  always  send 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  159 

either  in  a  post  office  money  order,  registered  letter,  or  bank  draft. 
Send  no  private  checks.  Also  give  your  name  in  full,  together  with 
your  post  office,  county  and  state  address. 

GOD  ANSWERS  PRAYERS. 

God  answers  all  prayers  by  reason  of  fixed  law.  One  law  is 
that  if  you  ask,  seek  and  knock,  placing  yourself  in  line  where 
the  blessing  is  to  be  received  when  you  pray,  you  will  receive  it. 
You  can  pray  till  doomsday,  and  your  prayer  will  not  have  any 
effect  unless  you  are  in  line  where  you  should  be  when  praying. 
You  must  come  to  God  with  a  pure  heart,  free  from  malice,  envy, 
hatred,  lust,  jealousy  and  vindictiveness.  Come  with  love  and  a 
pure  heart  and  your  prayer  will  be  heard. 

Prayer  is  always  the  preface  to  blessing.  It  goes  before  the 
blessing  as  the  blessing's  shadow.  When  the  sunlight  of  God's 
mercies  rises  upon  our  necessities,  it  casts  the  shadow  of  prayer 
far  down  upon  the  plain.  Or,  to  use  another  illustration,  when 
God  piles  up  a  hill  of  mercies,  He  Himself  shines  behind  them,  and 
He  casts  on  our  spirits  the  shadow  of  prayer,  so  that  we  may 
rest  certain,  if  we  are  much  in  prayer,  our  pleadings  are  the 
shadows  of  mercy.  Prayer  is  thus  connected  with  the  blessing 
to  show  us  the  value  of  it.  If  we  had  the  blessings  without  asking 
for  them,  we  should  think  them  common  things ;  but  prayer 
makes  our  mercies  more  precious  than  diamonds.  The  things 
we  ask  for  are  precious,  but  we  do  not  realize  their  preciousness 
until  we  have  sought  for  them  earnestly. 

''Prayer  makes  the  darkened  cloud  withdraw ; 
Prayer  climbs  the  ladder  Jacob  saw; 
Gives  exercise  to  faith  and  love; 
Brings  every  blessing  from  above." 

Mark  the  grand  characteristic  of  true  prayer — "In  the  Holy 
Ghost.''  The  seed  of  acceptable  devotion  must  come  from  heaven's 
storehouse.  Only  the  prayer  which  comes  from  God  can  go  to 
God.  We  must  shoot  the  Lord's  arrows  back  to  Him.  That 
desire  which  He  writes  upon  our  heart  will  move  His  heart  and 
bring  down  a  blessing,  but  the  desires  of  the  flesh  have  no 
power  with  Him. 


160  DIYINEHEALING. 


Praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost  is  praying  in  fervency.  Cold 
prayers  ask  the  Lord  not  to  hear  them.  Those  who  do  not  plead 
with  fervency,  plead  not  at  all.  As  well  speak  of  luke-warm  fire 
as  luke-warm  prayer — it  is  essential  that  it  be  red-hot.  It  is 
praying  perseveringly.  The  true  suppliant  gathers  force  as  he 
proceeds,  and  grows  more  fervent  when  God  delays  to  answer. 
The  longer  the  gate  is  closed,  the  more  vehemently  does  he  use 
the  knocker,  and  the  longer  the  angel  lingers,  the  more  resolved 
is  he  that  he  will  never  let  him  go  without  the  blessing.  Beautiful 
in  God's  sight  is  tearful,  agonizing,  unconquerable  importunity.  It 
means  praying  humbly,  for  the  Holy  Spirit  never  puffs  us  up  with 
pride.  It  is  His  office  to  convince  of  sin,  and  so  to  bow  us  down 
in  contrition  and  brokenness  of  spirit.  We  shall  never  sing  Gloria 
in  excelsis  except  we  pray  to  God  De  profundis :  out  of  the  depths 
must  we  cry,  or  we  shall  never  behold  glory  in  the  highest.  It  is 
loving  prayer.  Prayer  should  be  prfumed  with  love, 
saturated  with  love — love  to  our  fellow  saints,  and 
love  to  Christ.  Moreover,  it  must  be  a  prayer  full 
of  faith.  A  man  prevails  only  as  he  beleives.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  author  of  faith,  and  strengthens  it  so  that  we 
pray  believing  God's  promise.  Oh  that  this  blessed  combination 
of  excellent  graces,  priceless,  and  sweet  as  the  spices  of  the  mer- 
chant, might  be  fragrant  within  us  because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  in 
our  hearts!  Most  blessed  Comforter,  exert  Thy  mighty  power 
within  us,  helping  our  infirmities  in  prayer. 


THE   SYROPHENICIAN   WOMAN'S   DAUGHTER. 

(matt.  15  :21.) 

This  case  is  one  of  intercessory  faith,  although  doubtless  there 
was  much  need  of  individual  repentance  and  faith  on  the  part  of 
the  parents.  The  sad  condition  of  being  devil-possessed  was  very 
likely  due  to  some  sin  of  the  parents,  and,  unless  repented  of,  there 
would  be  no  deliverance.  This  woman  came  asking  for  mercy. 
Although  a  Gentile,  she  implored  the  Son  of  David  to  consider  her 
sorrow  and  grant  deliverance  from  this  grievance  of  her  daughter. 
Jesus  had  never  refused  a  case  when  asked  for  help.  This  mother 
perhaps  had  heard  of  this  and  was  the  more  confident  that  He 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  161 

would  not  turn  her  away.  But  in  this  case,  although  she  cried 
unto  Him,  He  answered  her  not  a  word.  What  an  unusual 
attitude  this  was  for  our  compassionate  Redeemer !  It  could  not 
be  because  she  was  a  Gentile  that  He  should  thus  treat  her,  for 
He  had  previous  to  this  time  shown  mercy  to  the  Gentile  centurion 
and  his  servant. 

His  disciples  being  surprised  at  this,  requested  Him  to  send  her 
away — "for  she  crieth  after  us."  Her  intense  earnestness  most 
certainly  had  not  failed  to  attract  His  attention.  His  answer  to 
the  disciples  was  no  encouragement  to  the  woman.  "I  am  not  sent 
but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,"  but  she  was  not 
to  be  sent  away  on  this  ground.  He  had  helped  others  outside  of 
the  children  of  Abraham,  and  she  would  not  be  turned  away.  In- 
stead of  crying  after  Him  any  longer,  or  going  away  in  despair, 
she  now  came  to  Him  in  the  attitude -of  worship.  Her  faith  was 
not  to  be  shaken.  At  His  feet  she  looks  up  to  Him  with  pleading 
tones,  saying,  ''Lord,  help  me."  This  time  Jesus  could  not  refuse 
giving  an  answer,  but  it  would  seem  from  an  ordinary  standpoint 
of  reasoning,  that  this  answer  was  more  discouraging  than  ever. 
But  not  so  to  her  faith,  it  only  increased  it  when  He  said :  "It  is 
not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast  it  to  dogs."  Who 
would  not  feel  completely  disheartened  at  such  an  answer  from 
Jesus?  It  seems  He  never  spoke  like  this  before.  But  her  faith 
found  a  blessed  opportunity  here,  although  she  had  no  right 
to  expect  any  of  the  children's  bread.  She  was  no  child  of  Abra- 
ham, she  knew  this  and  hardly  knew  how  to  ask  for  help.  But 
now  in  these  words  of  Jesus  she  has  found  all  she  wishes  for.  Is 
not  the  little  dog  permitted  to  pick  up  the  crumbs  that  fall  from 
the  table,  and  in  this  manner  after  all  get  some  of  the  children's 
bread?  She  had  already  taken  her  place  at  His  feet,  and  asked 
no  greater  favor  than  that  shown  to  the  master's  little  dog,  only  the 
crumbs.  She  answered  Jesus  and  said,  "Truth,  Lord  ;  yet  the  dogs 
eat  the  crumbs  which  fall  from  the  master's  table."  This  was  all 
she  asked,  and  she  had  now  done  all  that  Jesus  required.  Her  faith- 
proved  to  be  perfect. 

What  an  object  lesson  this  was  to  the  disciples.  Is  it  not  also  to 
us  ?  This  poor  Gentile  is  suddenly  honored  with  much  more  than 
she  had  asked  for.  Instead  of  one  little  crumb  of  the  children's 
bread,  she  comes  into  the  possession  of  a  whole  loaf.  Jesus  looks 
upon  her  in  astonishment,  and  says,  "O  woman,  great  is  thy 
faith :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  And  her  daughter  was 
made  whole  from  that  very  hour. 


162  DIVINEHEALING. 

THE    DAMSEL    AT    PHILIPPI. 
(acts  16:16.) 

Jesus  commissioned  His  disciples  to  go  forth  preaching  tlie 
gospel,  and  gave  them  power  over  all  devils  and  diseases.  This 
power  was  possessed  both  before  and  after  Pentecost.  Just  before 
His  ascension  He  had  promised  that  among  the  signs  that  should 
follow  them  that  believe,  they  should  cast  out  devils  in  His  name. 
The  apostle  Paul  had  this  power  in  his  ministry  at  Philippi. 

The  evil  spirit  in  this  damsel  was  ready  to  confess  God,  and 
the  apostles  as  the  servants  of  God,  but  no  testimony  of  the  Devil 
is  acceptable  with  God.  Jesus  suffered  not  the  devils  to  speak  nor 
confess  that  He  was  Christ.  As  this  spirit  continued  many  days 
to  cry  out  after  the  apostles,  Paul  commanded  it  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  come  out  of  this  damsel.  At  his  word  it  obeyed. 
The  soothsaying  spirit  was  gone. 

HEALING    THE  PARALYTIC. 

This  miracle  of  healing  was  wrought  by  our  Savior  in  His 
own  town  where  He  had  been  brought  up.  He  met  with  much 
unbelief  in  that  place. 

AA'hen  He  entered  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  and  opened 
the  book  of  Isaiah  and  read  some  of  the  prophecy  concerning 
Himself,  and  that  ''this  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your 
ears,"  they  would  not  believe  Him,  and  began  at  once  to  reason 
among  themselves  that  they  knew  Jesus,  and  that  He  was  the  son 
of  Joseph  the  carpenter,  and  would  not  accept  His  testimony  that 
He  was  the  one  who  came  to  heal  the  sick,  to  open  the  eyes  of  the 
blind,  and  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted.  He  had  done  these 
things  at  Capernaum  that  had  been  prophesied  of  Him,  because 
there  the  people  believed  in  Him ;  but  at  Nazareth  they  would  not 
believe  on  him,  and  He  knew  they  wanted  to  see  Him  perform 
some  of  His  miracles  before  accepting  His  interpretation  of 
prophecy.  But  Jesus  told  them  that  if  they  would  not  believe 
the  words  of  the  prophet  concerning  Him,  they  would  not  see  any 
of  His  works. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  163 

The  widow  of  Sarepta  had  a  heart  to  beUeve  what  the  prophet 
said  to  her  when  he  spoke  to  her  of  the  miraculous  manner  God 
would  provide  for  her  until  the  end  of  the  famine.  Because  she 
believed  the  word  of  the  Lord,  she  received  the  benefit  of  God's 
blessings. 

Naaman  the  leper,  though  greatly  mortified,  and  at  first  offend- 
ed by  the  word  of  the  Lord  through  the  prophet,  who  told  him  of 
God's  remedy  for  his  leprosy,  after  much  persuasion,  repented  and 
obeyed,  and  was  blessed  with  the  fulfillment  of  the  words  of  the 
prophet.  Jesus  applied  this  to  the  people  of  Nazareth,  and  clearly 
inferred  that  if  they  would  but  be  as  believing  and  obedient  as 
the  widow,  or  Naaman,  concerning  what  the  prophets  said  of  Him, 
they  would  also  receive  the  fulfillment  of  the  same,  and  just  such 
blessings  as  the  people  of  Capernaum  received;  but  they  would 
not,  and  were  offended  at  Him  and  attempted  to  take  His  life.  He 
left  them  and  returned  to  Capernaum,  but  upon  the  occasion  of 
healing  this  paralytic,  Jesus  had  returned  to  Nazareth  and  began 
to  preach  to  the  people.  Some  had  opened  their  hearts  to  God,  and 
were  listening  eagerly  to  the  words  of  life.  They  began  to  gather 
in  a  throng  to  hear  Him.  At  this  time  this  palsied  man  was  carried 
on  a  bed  by  four  of  his  friends  to  be  healed  of  his  disease.  The 
crowd  was  so  great  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  get  the  sick 
man  to  Jesus  in  any  ordinary  manner.  They  were  so  intensely  in 
earnest  that  they  could  not  wait  until  the  crowd  had  dispersed. 
They  must  get  this  man  to  Jesus.  They  carried  him  upon  the  roof 
of  the  house,  and  breaking  it  open,  let  the  man  down  at  Jesus'  feet. 
Jesus,  seeing  their  faith,  said  to  the  man  sick  with  the  palsy, 
"Son,  be  of  good  cheer;  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee." 

Let  us  therefore  take  courage  and  simply  believe  for  our  heal- 
ing, if  we  have  not  already  obtained  it,  and  not  think  that 
because  we  have  heretofore  failed  to  properly  grasp  the  promises, 
they  are  not  for  us.  We  have  the  same  right  to  be  healed  that  the 
palsied  man  had,  and  if  every  seeker  will  but  wait  upon  God,  and 
partake  of  the  promises,  it  shall  be  done.  One  great  disadvantage 
of  the  present  day  is  that  we  have  been  wrongly  taught.  We  are 
ever  ready  to  believe  that  God  will  save  all  who  will  come  to  Him, 
but  our  teachings  are  so  different  about  healing.  We  must  come 
therefore  upon  the  same  plane  of  faith  for  healing,  and  expect  it  to 
be  done  as  if  we  were  seeking  pardon.  Jesus  teaches  us  in  this  les- 
son that  He  is  just  as  willing  and  able  to  heal  as  He  is  to  pardon, 
for  He  asks  the  question : 


164  DIVINE    HEALING. 

""whether  is  easier, 

to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee ;  or  to  say,  Arise,  and  walk  ?"  No 
one  doubts  His  power  to  do  both,  and  no  one  should  doubt  His 
willingness. 

There  is  a  theory  advocated  by  some  of  the  enemies  of  the 
truth,  that  Jesus  healed  this  sick  man  only  to  prove  to  the  people 
that  He  had  power  to  forgive  sins,  and  thus  established  His 
divinity;  but  no  such  meaning  can  scripturally  be  deducted  from 
this  act  of  our  Savior.  The  old  threadbare  doctrine  of  our  modern 
theologians,  that  Jesus  healed  the  people  in  the  days  of  His  and 
the  apostles'  ministry,  to  establish  His  divinity,  finds  no  support 
here.  His  healing  power  very  likely  served  its  purpose  to  help  con- 
firm in  the  minds  of  those  who  already  believed  in  Him,  the  fact 
that  He  was  indeed  the  Christ,  but  He  had  a  much  higher  object 
in  view  in  healing  than  this.  It  was  His  great  compassion  toward 
suffering  humanity,  and  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy  in  His  redemp- 
tion work,  which  reaches  the  body  as  well  as  the  soul.  (Read 
Matt.  8:17;  14:14;  20:34;  Mark  1:41;  9:22;  Luke  7:13.) 

If  divine  healing  was  for  the  sole  purpose  of  establishing  the 
divinity  of  Christ  in  the  first  century,  then  it  is  a  present-day  neces- 
sity for  the  same  purpose,  and  should  not  have  ceased  with  the 
first  century.  Our  modern  D.  D.s  affirm  that  miracles  of  healing 
ceased  then,  for  healing  was  only  to  prove  the  divinity  of  Christ. 
If  this  is  true,  is  not  healing  as  necessary  to  prove  His  divinity 
now  as  it  was  then  ?  If  healing  is  but  an  historical  fact,  then  the 
divinity  of  Christ  is  also  but  historical.  If  He  healed  in  the  first 
century  to  prove  that  He  had  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  then 
healing  is  just  as  necessary  in  the  twentieth  century  to  prove  that 
He  still  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins. 

This  places  the  D.  D.s  in  an  unpleasant  position.  Their 
doctrine  affords  them  no  place  of  refuge  for  self-justification. 
They  would  be  wiser  to  acknowledge  their  unbelief  and  repent. 
The  gospel  declares  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday  and 
today  and  forever.  History  proves  it  to  be  true,  through  the 
centuries,  and  thank  God,  there  are  thousands  of  God's  people 
among  the  kindreds,  tongues,  and  nations  of  earth  who  are  glad  to 
testify  to  the  fact  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  and  the  Healer  of  His 
people  now.  His  compassionate  heart  yearns  in  mercy  toward 
suffering  humanity,  and  is  ever  ready  to  bless  and  heal. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  165 

We  boldly  declare  that  Jesus  never  employed  divine  healing 
simply  as  a  credential  of  His  divinity.  There  was  a  certain  degree 
of  faith  required  upon  the  part  of  every  responsible  person  who  was 
healed  by  Him.  The  majority,  if  not  all,  the  people  who  received 
Him  at  all,  were  such  as  had  believed  the  preaching  of  John,  who 
testified  to  the  near  coming  of  the  Christ.  They  had  obedient  hearts 
like  this  paralytic,  and  came  hungering  for  the  blessings  which 
they  believed  He  was  able  and  willing  to  bestow.  If  healing  and 
miracles  were  his  credentials.  He  would  have  produced  them  at 
Nazareth  at  the  time  the  people  refused  His  testimony  and  cast 
Him  out  of  their  city.  He  could  do  no  mighty  work  there  because 
of  their  unbelief,  except  that  he  healed  a  few  sick  ones ;  and  these 
few  were  certainly  those  who  believed  in  Him,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  our  lesson  was  one.  It  is  not  the  design  of  God  to  gratify  th(r 
curiosity  of  an  unbelieving  world,  that  they  should  thus  be  com- 
pelled to  believe,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  word  of  God  to  justify 
such  a  doctrine.  When  the  dear  Man  of  sorrows  was  suffering  our 
infirmities  and  bearing  our  sicknesses  on  the  cross,  those  very 
people  who  had  seen  some  of  His  wonderful  works  wrought  upon 
those  who  believed,  but  had  themselves  rejected  Him,  said  to  Him 
as  He  was  now  groaning  in  death,  'Tf  thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
come  down  from  the  cross."  Even  the  chief  of  priests,  scribes,  and 
elders  said  they  would  believe  in  Him  if  He  would  come  down 
from  the  cross.  The  trouble  with  them  was  they  were  disobedient 
to  God.  They  did  not  believe  Moses  nor  John,  and  therefore  would 
not  have  believed  in  Jesus,  even  though  he  would  have  come  down 
from  the  cross. 

No,  dear  sufferer,  He  healed  because  He  had  a  heart  full  of 
mercy  and  compassion,  and  now  since  He  has  been  exalted  to  the 
right  hand  of  God,  He  is  still  our  living  High  Priest,  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  and  has,  by  His  redemption, 
spoken  away  our  diseases,  we  must  believe  it,  and  come  boldly 
unto  the  throne  of  grace  and  obtain  the  desired  blessing. 


YOUNG  MAN,  I  SAY  UNTO  THEE,  ARISE. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  169 

YOUNG  MAN,   I   SAY  UNTO  THEE,   ARISE. 
(luke  7:11-15.) 

*'And  it  came  to  pass  the  day  after,  that  He  went  into  a  city 
called  Nain;  and  many  of  His  disciples  went  with  Him,  and 
much  people. 

"Now,  when  He  came  nigh  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold, 
there  was  a  dead  man  carried  out,  the  only  son  of  his  mother, 
and  she  was  a  widow :  and  much  people  of  the  city  was  witli 
her. 

"And  when  the  Lord  saw  her.  He  had  compassion  on  her,  and 
said  unto  her.  Weep  not. 

"And  He  came  and  touched  the  bier:  and  they  that  bare  him 
stood  still.    And  he  said.  Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee.  Arise. 

"And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up,  and  began  to  speak.  And  He 
delivered  him  to  his  mother." 

THE  DUMB  MAN. 

(LUKE  11  :14.) 

In  this  case  this  man  had  an  evil  spirit  that  held  his  power  of 
speech  under  control.  This  affliction  may  exist  without  the  indi- 
vidual being  possessed.  It  may  be  a  case  where  the  person  Is 
bound  or  oppressed  by  the  Devil,  but  in  this  case  we  see  this  man 
was  possessed  with  a  dumb  Devil,  but  when  the  Devil  was  cast 
out  the  dumb  spake.  In  Matt.  12  :83  we  have  an  instance  where 
one  was  possessed,  who  was  both  blind  and  dumb.  As  soon  as 
the  devil  was  cast  out  the  man  spake  and  saw.  Who  could  scrip- 
turally  deny  that  Satan  is  the  author  of  disease  and  affliction  ? 

WOMAN  WHO  HAD  AN  INFIRMITY  EIGHTEEN  YEARS. 
(LUKE  13:10-13.) 

"And  He  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the  Sabbath 
"And  behold,  there  was  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  in- 
firmity eighteen  years,  and  was  bowed  together,  and  could  in  no 
wise  lift  up  herself. 


170  DIVINE    HEALING. 

"And  when  Jesus  saw  her,  He  called  her  to  Him,  and  said  unto 
her,  Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity. 

"And  He  laid  His  hands  on  her:  and  immediately  she  was 
made   straight,   and  glorified   God." 

This  was  a  case  of  helpless  deformity.  The  poor  woman  was 
"  bowed  together  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself."  What  a 
sad  sight !  How  the  loving  heart  of  Jesus  must  have  been  touched 
with  compassion  as  He  beheld  the  sufferer.  He  again  shows  His 
deep  interest  here  in  our  bodies.  How  can  we  dare  doubt  His 
willingness  to  heal?  This  blessed  expression  of  His  love  should 
inspire  a  deeper  faith  in  the  heart  of  every  sufferer. 

This  interesting  case  throws  much  light  on  the  origin  of 
disease.  There  is  much  speculation  upon  this  subject  among  a 
certain  class  of  would-be  teachers,  who  are  not  willing  to  let 
Jesus  speak  and  decide  the  question  as  to  the  author  of  diseases. 
The  New  Testament  speaks  with  decided  clearness  in  this  re- 
spect. The  case  of  the  affliction  of  Job  agrees  thereto.  There 
are  a  few  references,  which,  if  placed  in  a  disconnected  position, 
might  lead  the  mind  to  the  conclusion  that  God  is  the  author  of 
disease.    But  such  deduction  cannot  harmonize  with  the  gospel. 

God  permits  Satan  to  bind  with  disease,  which  may  perhaps 
serve  as  a  chastisement  in  certain  instances ;  but  if  every  one  who 
may  be  under  such  chastising,  would  seek  diligently  to  know  the 
cause  of  and  remedy  for  it,  then  in  faith  meet  the  conditions  for 
healing,  the  disease  would  vanish.  God  is  glorified  in  sickness 
only  in  the  same  respect  that  He  is  glorified  in  any  of  the  works  of 
the  Devil — by  destroying  it.  Jesus  has  come  to  work  the  works 
of  God  (Jno.  9  :4),  and  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil.  1  Jno. 
3  :8 ;  Acts  10  :38.  His  work  in  His  earthly  ministry  Was  going 
"  about  doing  good  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the 
Devil."  He  did  not  undo  the  works  of  God,  but  did  undo  the 
works  of  the  Devil,  by  working  the  works  of  God.  He  said,  "  I 
must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  me."  Let  us  not  be  so  in- 
consistent as  to  believe  that  disease  is  the  work  of  God.  Jesus  did 
not  come  to  work  against  God,  but  He  came  the  Prince  of  Life  to 
overthrow  the  law  of  sin,  disease  and  death,  and  establish  the  law 
of  the  Spirit  of  Life. 

Jesus  called  her  to  Him.  We  see  here  the  need  of  personal 
contact  with  Him.  We  must  come  within  touch  of  Jesus  if  we 
would  have  His  healing  life  flow  into  our  life.  The  woman  ex- 
pressed her  faith  in  coming  to  Him.    He  said  unto  her,  "  Woman, 


WAS  DISEASED  8  AND  30  YEARS. 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CURE.  171 

thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity."  What  gracious  words! 
They  were  personally  addressed  to  one  who  had  been  held  with  an 
iron  grasp  for  eighteen  long  years.  What  dark  and  hopeless  sea-' 
sons  must  have  hung  over  her,  as  from  year  to  year  she  groaned 
under  this  oppression.  In  the  language  of  one  who  has  recently 
been  healed,  "  I  was  trying  to  reconcile  myself  to  a  life  ot  weak- 
ness and  suffering."  So  this  woman  perhaps  had  tried  to  become 
reconciled  to  her  condition,  and,  like  many  to-day,  thought  it  was 
God's  will  for  her  to  continue  in  this  awful  bondage  for  life. 
Thank  God,  the  day  of  her  deliverance  came.  The  Deliverer 
stands  by  her  side  and  speaks  away  the  spirit  of  infirmity  and 
all  its  work.  He  smites  the  fetters  and  says  to  the  captive,  "  Go 
free." 

The  call  comes  from  Him;  she  gbeys  and  comes.  He  speaks 
the  word  of  healing ;  she  believes.  He  lays  His  hands  upon  her ; 
she  receives,  and  immediately  she  was  made  straight. 

This  miracle  of  healing  was  wrought  in  the  synagogue  on  the 
Sabbath.  The  ruler  was  at  once  filled  with  indignation,  and  began 
to  plead  the  sanctity  of  the  fourth  commandment  in  the  law,  but 
Jesus  proved  to  him  that  He  had  acted  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  spirit  of  the  law,  and  only  did  an  act  of  mercy  and  love  to 
this  woman. 

"  She  glorified  God."  This  was  a  natural  result  of  the  work 
of  God  in  her  body.  With  the  healing  touch  comes  the  glory  of 
God  in  the  entire  being,  and  the  blessed  result  always  brings  glory 
to  God.  Would  we  see  God  greatly  glorified  in  these  days  of 
unbelief?  Let  us  get  in  touch  with  Jesus  for  our  healing.  This 
not  only  causes  the  healed  to  glorify  God,  but  as  in  this  instance 
the  people  rejoice;  not  those  who  are  filled  with  prejudice,  but 
all  those  whose  hearts  are  open  to  God. 


JESUS  ON  THE  SABBATH  DAY  CURETH  HIM  THAT 
WAS  DISEASED  EIGHT  AND  THIRTY  YEARS. 

"After  this  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews ;  and  Jesus  went  up 
to  Jerusalem.  Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep  market  a 
pool,  which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda,  having  five 
porches.  In  these  lay  a  great  multitude  of  impotent  folk,  of 
blind,  halt,  withered,  waiting  for  the  moving  of  the  water.  For 
an  angel  went  down  at  a  certain  season  into  the  pool,  and  troubled 


172  DIVINE    HEALING. 

the  water:  whosoever  then  first  after  the  troubHng  of  the  water 
stepped  in  was  made  whole  of  whatsoever  disease  he  had.  And 
a  certain  man  was  there,  which  had  an  infirmity  thirty  and  eight 
years.  When  Jesus  saw  him  He,  and  knew  that  he  had  been  now 
a  long  time  in  that  case,  he  saith  unto  him.  Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole?  The  impotent  man  answered  him.  Sir,  I  have  no  man, 
when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool:  but  while  I 
am  coming,  another  steppeth  down  before  me.  Jesus  saith  unto 
him,  Rise,  take  up  thy  bed  and  walk.  And  immediately  the  man 
was  made  whole,  and  took  up  his  bed,  and  walked ;  and  on  the 
same  day  was  the  Sabbath." — John  5  :l-9. 

The  scene  of  this  miracle  was  Bethesda,  a  pool,  according  to 
the  evangelist,  adjoining  the  sheep  market,  or  near  to  the  sheep 
gate;  the  place  through  which,  I  suppose  the  cattle  consumed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  would  be  driven  ;  and  the  pool  whefe, 
perhaps,  the  sheep  intended  for  sale  to  the  offerers  in  the  temple 
were  washed.  So  common  was  sickness  in  the  days  of  the  Savior, 
that  the  infirmities  of  men  intruded  upon  the  place  which  had 
been  allotted  to  cattle,  and  the  place  where  sheep  had  been 
washed,  became  the  spot  where  sick  folk  congregated  in  great 
multitudes,  longing  for  a  cure.  We  do  not  hear  that  any  one 
remonstrated  at  the  intrusion,  or  that  public  opinion  was  shocked. 
The  needs  of  man  must  override  all  considerations  of  taste.  The 
hospital  must  have  the  preference  over  the  sheep  market.  This 
day  there  is  by  the  sheep  market  a  pool,  and  impotent  folk  are 
here  in  exceeding  great  multitudes. 

We  might  never  have  heard  of  Bethesda,  if  an  august  visitor 
had  not  condescended  to  honor  it  with  His  presence — Jesus,  the 
Son  of  God,  walked  in  the  five  porches  by  the  pool.  It  was  the 
place  where  we  might  expect  to  meet  Him,  for  where  should  the 
Physician  be  found  if  not  in  the  place  where  the  sick  are  gathered  ? 
Here  was  work  for  Jesus'  healing  hand  and  restoring  word.  It 
was  but  natural  that  the  Son  of  Man,  who  ''came  to  seek  and  to 
save  that  which  was  lost,  should  make  His  way  to  the  lazar-house 
by  the  side  of  the  pool.  That  gracious  visit  is  Bethesda's  glory. 
This  has  lifted  up  the  name  of  this  pool  out  of  the  common  rank 
of  the  springs  and  waters  of  the  earth. 

1.  In  order  to  observe  the  patient,  I  shall  ask  you  to  go  with 
me  to  the  pool  with  the  five  porches,  around  which  the  sick  are 
lying.  Walk  tenderly  amongst  the  groups  of  lame  and  blind ! 
Nay,  do  not  close  your  eyes.     It  will  do  you  good  to  see  the  sor- 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  173 

rowful  sight  to  mark  what  sin  has  done,  and  to  what  sorrows  our 
father  Adam  has  made  us  heirs. 

Why  are  they  all  here  ?  They  are  here  because  sometimes  the 
waters  bubble  up  with  a  healing  virtue.  Whether  visibly  stirred 
by  an  angel  or  not  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  here  to  discuss ;  but 
it  was  generally  believed  that  an  angel  descended  and  touched  the 
water — this  rumor  attracted  the  sick  from  all  quarters.  As  soon 
as  the  stir  was  seen  in  the  waters,  the  whole  mass  probably  leaped 
into  the  pool — those  who  could  not  leap  themselveswere  pushed  in 
by  their  attendants.  Alas  !  how  small  the  result !  Many  were  dis- 
appointed ;  only  one  was  rewarded  for  the  leap ;  whosoever  first 
stepped  in  was  healed,  but  only  the  first.  For  the  poor  and  meager 
chance  of  winning  this  cure  the  sick  folk  lingered  in  Bethesda's 
arches  year  after  year.  The  impotent  man  in  the  narrative  had 
most  likely  spent  the  better  part  of  h'is  thirty-eight  years  in  wait- 
ing at  this  famous  pool,  buoyed  up  by  the  slender  hope  that  he 
might  one  day  be  the  first  of  the  throng.  On  the  Sabbath  men- 
tioned, the  angel  had  not  come  to  him,  but  something  better  had 
come,  for  Jesus  Christ,  the  angel's  Master,  was  there. 

Note  concerning  this  man,  that  he  zvas  fully  azvare  of  his 
sickness.  He  did  not  dispute  the  failure  of  his  health :  he  was  an 
impotent  man  ;  he  felt  it  and  he  owned  it. 

The  impotent  man  thus  desiring  to  be  healed,  zvaited  by  the 
pool,  expecting  some  sign  and  wonder.  He  hoped  that  an  angel 
would  suddenly  burst  open  the  golden  gates  and  touch  the  waters 
which  were  now  calm  and  stagnant,  and  that  then  he  might  be 
healed.  This,  too,  my  dear  readers,  is  the  thought  of  many  of 
those  who  feel  their  sins  and  who  desire  salvation.  They  accept 
that  unscriptural  and  dangerous  advice  given  to  them  by  a  certain 
class  of  ministers ;  they  wait  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda ;  they  per- 
severe in  the  formal  use  of  means  and  ordinances,  and  continue 
in  unbelief,  expecting  some  great  thing.  They  abide  in  a  con- 
tinued refusal  to  obey  the  gospel,  and  yet  expect  that  on  a  sudden 
they  will  experience  some  strange  emotions,  singular  feelings,  or 
remarkable  impressions  ;  they  hope  to  see  a  vision,  or  hear  a  super- 
natural voice,  or  be  alarmed  with  deliriums  of  horror.  Now,  dear 
readers,  we  shall  not  deny  that  a  few  persons  have  been  saved  by 
very  singular  interpositions  of  God's  hand,  in  a  manner  alto- 
gether out  of  the  ordinary  modes  of  divine  procedure.  When 
the  Lord  bids  you  believe  in  Jesus,  what  right  have  you  to  de- 
mand signs  and  wonders  instead?    Jesus  Himself  is  the  greatest 


174  DI  VINE    H  EALING  . 

of  all  wonders.  My  dear  readers,  for  you  to  wait  for  remarkable 
experiences  is  as  futile  as  was  the  waiting  of  the  multitude  who 
lingered  at  Bethesda  waiting  for  the  long-expected  angel,  when 
He  who  could  heal  them  stood  already  in  their  midst,  neglected  and 
despised  by  them.  What  a  piteous  spectacle,  to  see  them  gazing 
into  the  clouds  when  the  Physician  who  could  heal  them  was 
present,  and  they  offered  Him  no  petitions,  and  sought  no  mercy 
at  His  hands. 

In  dealing  with  the  method  of  waiting  to  see  or  feel  some  great 
thing,  we  remark,  that  it  is  not  the  tvay  which' God  has  hidden  his 
servants  preach.  I  challenge  the  whole  world  to  find  any  gospel 
of  God  in  which  an  unconverted  man  is  told  to  abide  in  unbelief. 
Where  is  the  sinner  told  to  wait  upon  God  in  the  use  of  ordinances, 
that  so  he  may  be  saved?  The  gospel  of  our  salvation  is  this — 
"Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  When 
our  Lord  gave  this  commission  to  his  disciples,  he  said,  "Go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  Anl 
what  was  that  ggspel?  Tell  them  to  wait  in  their  unbelief  in  the 
use  of  means  and  ordinances  till  they  see  some  great  thing?  Tell 
them  to  be  diligent  in  prayer,  and  read  the  word  of  God,  until 
they  feel  better?  Not  an  atom  of  it.  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
"He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned."  This  was  the  gospel,  and  the  only 
gospel  which  Jesus  Christ  ever  bade  His  ministers  preach,  and 
they  who  say,  wait  for  feelings !  wait  for  impressions !  wait  for 
wonders !  they  preach  another  gospel  which  is  not  another ;  but 
there  be  some  that  trouble  you.  The  lifting  up  of  Christ  on  the 
cross  is  the  saving  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  in  the  cross 
of  Jesus  lies  the  hope  of  men.  "Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved, 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  is  God's  gospel.  "Wait  at  the  pool"  is 
man's  gospel,  and  has  destroyed  its  thousands. 

"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man 
his  thoughts ;  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  He  will  hav^ 
mercy  upon  him."  He  has  not  said,  "Wait,"  but  He  has  said,  "Seek 
ye  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found,  call  ye  upon  Llim  while  He  is 
near."  "To-day  if  ye  will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." 
I  find  Jesus  saying  nothing  to  sinners  about  waiting,  but  very  much 
about  coming.  "Come  unto  Me,all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden 
and  I  will  give  you  rest."  "If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  "The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  let 
him  that  heareth  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come. 
And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  175 

Why  is  this  way  so  very  popular  ?  It  is  because  it  administers 
laudamtm  to  the  conscience.  When  the  minister  preaches  with 
power,  and  the  hearer's  heart  is  touched,  the  Devil  says,  "W^ait 
for  a  more  convenient  season."  Thus  the  arch  enemy  pours  this 
deadly  drug  into  the  soul,  and  the  sinner  instead  of  trusting  in 
Jesus  on  the  spot,  or  on  bended  knee  with  tearful  eye,  crying  for 
mercy,  flatters  himself  because  he  is  "in  the  use  of  the  means" : 
which  use  of  means  is  well  enough  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  which 
is  bad  as  bad  can  be  when  it  comes  into  the  place  of  Christ  cruci- 
fied. A  child  ought  to  hear  its  parent's  command,  but  what  if 
the  child  puts  hearing  into  the  place  of  obeying?  God  forbid 
that  I  should  glory  in  your  listening  to  the  gospel,  if  you  are 
hearers  only — my  glory  is  in  the  cross ;  and  unless  you  look  to  the 
cross,  it  were  better  for  you  that  you  had  never  been  born. 

There  lies  our  poor  friend,  still  waiting  at  the  water's  edge. 
I  do  not  blame  him  for  waiting,  for  Jesus  had  not  been  there  be- 
fore, and  it  was  right  for  him  to  seize  even  the  most  slender  chance 
of  a  cure ;  but  it  was  sad  that  Jesus  should  have  been  so  slighted : 
there  He  went,  threading  His  way  among  the  blind,  and  the  halt, 
and  the  lame,  and  looking  benignly  upon  them  all,  but  none  looking 
up  to  him.  Now  in  other  places,  as  soon  as  Jesus  made  His  ap- 
pearance, they  brought  the  sick  in  their  beds  and  laid  them  at  His 
feet,  and  as  He  went  along  He  healed  them  all,  scattering  mercies 
with  both  His  hands.  A  blindness  had  come  over  these  people  at 
the  pool ;  there  they  were,  and  there  was  Christ,  who  could  heal 
them,  but  not  a  single  one  of  them  sought  him.  Their  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  water,  expecting  it  to  be  troubled ;  they  were  so  taken 
up  with  their  own  chosen  way  that  the  true  way  was  neglected. 
No  mercies  were  distributed,  for  none  were  sought. 


THE  MAN  AT  BETHESDA. 

Jesus  was  always  ready  to  take  notice  of  every  sufferer.  He 
came  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost,  and  his  deep  interest 
in  the  sick,  equally  testifies  that  our  infirmities  and  sicknesses  were 
an  important  part  of  his  redemption  interests. 

He  never  failed  to  manifest  his  care  for  the  physical  as  well 
as  the  spiritual  man.  To  Him  the  one  is  equally  as  precious  as 
the  other.  Both  have  cost  His  precious  life,  and  without  the  re- 
demption of  both,  our  salvation  is  incomplete.     How  much  of  the 


176  DIVINE    HEALING. 

redemption  of  the  body  there  is  contained  in  our  present  salvation 
can  easily  be  determined  by  the  work  of  healing  in  the  ministry 
of  Jesus  and  the  apostles.  Whatever  is  yet  to  be  accomplished 
when  Jesus  comes,  when  this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality,  is 
yet  in  the  future.  Then  the  power  of  physical  death  shall  be  ut- 
terly destroyed,  but  until  then,  and  on  this  side  of  the  Lord's 
coming,  it  is  our  blessed  privilege  to  possess  all  that  Jesus  brought 
when  He  established  the  law  of  the  spirit  of  life.  In  this  divine 
law  we  can  unhesitatingly  affirm  with  scriptural  authority  that 
God  placed  as  high  an  estimate  upon  the  physical  as  upon  the  spir- 
itual part  of  our  being.  Even  though  the  one  returns  to  dust,  that 
very  dust  of  His  sleeping  saints  is  precious  in  His  sight,  and  shall 
be  brought  forth  incorruptible. 

The  word  of  God  abounds  with  light  upon  this  subject,  and 
seeing  that  not  an  atom  of  our  being  is  left  out  of  the  redemption 
plan,  let  us  seek  more  fully  to  glorify  God  in  our  spirit  and  body 
which  are  God's  by  coming  into  full  possession  of  our  present  in- 
heritance. 

WILT   THOU    BE    MADE  WHOLE.? 

Here  is  one  of  the  most  hopeless  and  helpless  cases  mentioned 
in  the  ministry  of  Christ.  This  man  was  hopeless.  1.  He  was  an 
incurable.  2.  He  had  no  one  to  carry  him  into  the  pool.  3.  He 
was  depending  upon  a  very  questionable,  if  not  an  entirely  super- 
stitious means  of  cure.  4.  He  had  his  prospect  of  healing  and 
all  his  faith  entirely  in  the  future.  So  according  to  all  earthly 
prospects  this  was  one  of  the  most  discouraging  and  helpless  cases. 
This  perhaps  is  why  Jesus  came  to  him  unsolicited.  His  sym- 
pathy was  drawn  out  to  him  in  an  unusual  manner.  What  an 
example  of  tender  care  for  the  welfare  of  the  body — this  poor 
mortal  with  an  infirmity  of  thirty-eight  years'  standing,  being  ad- 
dressed by  the  Son  of  God  in  this  manner !  It  teaches  us  that  the 
more  helpless  we  are  the  more  deeply  concerned  is  He  for  us. 

There  is  no  other  case  where  Jesus  came  and  almost  asked 
for  the  privilege  to  heal.  Surely  He  is  touched  with  the  feeling 
of  our  infirmities,  and  no  one  to-day  has  reason  to  get  discouraged ; 
for  there  is  no  one  any  more  hopeless  than  this  man  was  at 
Bethesda.  When  Jesus  asked  him  this  question  he  was  yet  wholly 
absorbed  in  the  thought  of  help  through  the  pool,  but  Jesus  quickly 
turned  his  mind  from  all  this  into  auite  another  direction.     How 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  177 

practical  this  is  in  the  case  of  every  one  to-day  who  is  leaning  upon 
the  help  of  man  or  human  remedies !  The  first  thing  necessary 
is  to  get  done  with  everything  else  which  must,  and  will  sooner 
or  later,  prove  as  unsatisfactory  as  did  Bethesda  to  this  poor 
sufferer.  God  wants  an  opportunity  to  do  His  own  work  in  His 
own  way  in  everyone  of  his  suffering  children,  but  we  must  let 
Him  have  a  chance.  We  must  let  go  of  our  foolish  beliefs  and 
superstitions,  doubts  and  fears,  and  launch  out  upon  the  everlasting 
promises  which  alone  can  bring  us  the  desires  of  our  hearts.  All 
the  stagnant  pools  of  medical  or  scientific  device  will  never  satisfy. 
Millions  of  sufferers  have  perished  while  lying  helpless  upon  these 
porches  waiting  for  some  imaginary  angel  to  touch  and  impart 
healing  virtue  to  these  waters.  O  afflicted  child  of  God,  turn 
away  from  all  these  things,  and  lift  yp  thine  eyes  unto  the  hills 
from  whence  cometh  thy  help.  Behold  the  throne  of  grace  out 
of  which  proceedeth  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal, 
pure  as  heaven,  abundant  and  perennial  with  healing  virtue  and 
blessing  for  our  spiritual  and  physical  being. 

No  matter  how  helpless  or  hopeless  you  are,  there  is  help  in 
Him  who  is  mighty  to  deliver.  He  comes  to  you  by  His  Holy 
Spirit  just  now  tenderly  asking  you, 

*'Wilt  thou  be  made  whole?    Wilt  thou  be  made  whole? 
Oh,  come,  weary  sufferer.  Oh,  come,  sin-sick  soul. 
See  the  life  stream  is  flowing,  see  the  cleansing  waves  roll ; 
Step  into  the  current  and  thou  slialt  be  whole." 

Others  may  step  down  before  you  and  receive  life,  but  the 
stream  continues  to  flow.  All  who  have  gone  in  before  you  cannot 
exhaust  its  power.  It  flows  on  and  on  as  it  has  ever  done  through 
the  centuries,  "  bearing  balm  for  the  wounded,  healing  all  who 
apply."  Step  in,  dear  child  of  God,  it  is  only  a  step  of  faith ;  you 
can  take  it  if  you  but  make  the  effort.  If  you  do  not  succeed  in 
the  first  effort,  keep  looking  to  God  for  strength  to  believe,  feed 
upon  his  promises  until  the  strength  comes.  You  shall  not  be 
disappointed.    Step  in  and  be  made  whole. 

Jesus  teaches  us  in  this  case  of  the  impotent  man  that  He  alone 
has  the  power  to  heal,  saying  unto  him,  "  Rise,  take  up  thy  bed 
and  walk  ;"  and  also  teaches  us  that  notwithstanding  the  law  of 
Moses,  He  had  the  right  to  command  a  man  to  carrv  his  bed  on 


178  DIVINE    HEALING. 

the  Sabbath.  The  power  of  His  word  was  at  once  felt  in  this 
man's  body,  and  immediately  he  was  made  whole,  and  obeyed  the 
command  of  Jesus. 

Another  important  lesson  in  this  for  us,  is  that  Jesus  instructed 
him  how  to  keep  this  divine  health.  "  Sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse 
thing  come  unto  thee."  It  is  evident  that  his  infirmities  had  come 
upon  him  through  his  own  sins.  Now,  if  he  would  retain  this 
blessing  of  health,  he  must  live  in  strict  obedience  to  God.  This 
is  of  great  importance  to  all.  Many  are  not  healed,  through  lack 
of  obedience,  and  many  who  once  received  the  healing  have  lost 
it  through  the  same  cause,  and  thereby  expose  themselves  to 
greater  sorrows.  Let  every  seeker  cease  from  sin,  and  every  one 
who  has  found  Jesus  as  Savior  and  Healer,  hear  His  gracious 
words  of  warning :    "Sin  no  more." 


JESUS   HEALING   THE   LAME   AND   THE   BLIND   ON 
THE  MOUNTAIN. 

(MATTHEW  15:30-31.) 

"And  great  multitudes  came  unto  Him,  having  with  them 
those  that  were  lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,  and 
cast  them  down  at  Jesus'  feet ;  and  he  healed  them : 

"Insomuch  that  the  multitude  wondered,  when  they  saw  the 
dumb  to  speak,  the  maimed  to  be  whole,  the  lame  to  walk,  and 
the  blind  to  see,  and  they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel." 

The  child  is  cheered  as  he  sings,  "This  my  father  knows"  ; 
and  shall  not  we  be  comforted  as  we  discern  that  our  dear  Friend 
and  tender-souled  husband  knows  all  about  us? 

1.  He  is  the  Physician,  and  if  He  knows  all,  there  is  no  need 
that  the  patient  should  know.  Hush,  thou  silly,  fluttering  heart, 
prying,  peeping  and  suspecting!  What  thou  knowest  not  now 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter;  and  meanwhile,  Jesus,  the  beloved 
Physician,  knows  thy  soul  in  adversities.  Why  need  the  patient 
analyze  all  the  medicine,  or  estimate  all  the  symptoms?  This 
is  the  physician's  work,  not  mine ;  it  is  my  business  to  trust,  and 
his  to  prescribe.  If  he  shall  write  his  prescription  in  uncouth 
characters  which  I  cannot  read,  I  will  not  be  uneasy  on  that 
account,  but  rely  upon  his  unfailing  skill  to  make  all  plain  in 
the  result,  however  mysterious  in  the  working. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  179 

2.  He  is  the  Master,  and  His  knowledge  is  to  serve  us  instead 
of  our  own  ;  we  are  to  obey,  not  to  judge :  "The  servant  knoweth 
not  what  his  lord  doeth."  Shall  the  architect  explain  his  plans  to 
every  hodman  on  the  works?  If  he  knows  his  own  intent,  is  it 
not  enough  ?  The  vessel  on  the  wheel  cannot  guess  to  what  pat- 
tern it  shall  be  conformed,  but  if  the  potter  understands  his  art, 
what  matters  the  ignorance  of  the  clay?  My  Lord  must  not  be 
cross-questioned  any  more  by  one  so  ignorant  as  I  am. 

3.  He  is  the  Head.  All  understanding  centers  there.  What 
judgment  has  the  arm?  What  comprehension  has  the  foot?  All 
the  power  to  know  lies  in  the  head.  Why  should  the  member 
have  a  brain  of  its  own  when  the  head  fulfils  for  it  every  intel- 
lectual office?  Here,  then,  must  the  believer  rest  his  comfort  in 
sickness,  not  that  he  himself  can  see  the  end,  but  that  Jesus  knows 
all.  Sweet  Lord,  be  Thou  forever  eye  and  soul,  and  head  for  us, 
and  let  us  be  content  to  know  only  what  Thou  choosest  to  reveal. 


TOUCHED  ONLY  THE  HEM  OF  HIS  GARMENT  AND 
WERE  HEALED. 

''And  when  they  were  gone  over,  they  came  into  the  land  of 
Gennesaret. 

''And  when  the  men  of  that  place  had  knowledge  of  Him, 
they  sent  out  into  all  that  country  round  about,  and  brought  unto 
Him  all  that  were  diseased  ; 

"And  besought  Him  that  they  might  only  touch  the  hem  of 
His  garment ;  and  as  many  as  touched  were  made  perfectly  whole." 

Few  words,  but  yet  an  exquisite  miniature  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  There  are  not  many  touches,  but  they  are  the  strokes  of 
a  master's  pencil.  Of  the  Savior,  and  only  of  the  Savior,  is  it 
true  in  the  fullest,  broadest  and  most  unqualified  sense.  "He  went 
about  doing  good."  From  this  description  it  is  evident  that  He  did 
good  personally.  The  evangelists  constantly  tell  us  that  He 
touched  the  leper  with  His  own  finger,  that  He  anointed  the  eyes 
of  the  blind,  and  that  in  cases  where  He  was  asked  to  speak  the 
word  only  at  a  distance.  He  did  not  usually  comply,  but  went 
Himself  to  the  sick  bed,  and  there  personally  wrought  the  cure. 
A  lesson  to  us,  if  we  would  do  good,  to  do  it  ourselves.  Give  alms 
with  your  own  hand ;  a  kind  look   or  word  will  enhance  the  value 


180  BIT  IN  E     HEALING. 

of  the  gift.  Speak  to  a  friend  about  his  soul ;  your  loving  appeal 
will  have  more  influence  than  a  whole  library  of  tracts.  Our 
Lord's  mode  of  doing  good  sets  forth  His  incessant  activity!  He 
did  not  only  the  good  which  came  close  to  hand,  but  He  "went 
about"  on  His  errands  of  mercy.  Throughout  the  whole  land  oi 
Judea  there  was  scarcely  a  village  or  a  hamlet  which  was  not 
gladdened  by  the  sight  of  Him.  How  this  reproves  the  creeping, 
loitering  manner  in  which  many  professors  serve  the  Lord !  Let 
us  gird  up  the  loins  of  our  mind,  and  be  not  weary  in  well  doing. 
Does  not  the  text  imply  that  Jesus  Christ  went  out  of  His  way  to 
do  good?  ''He  went  abont  doing  good."  He  was  never  deterred 
by  danger  or  difficulty.  He  sought  out  the  objects  of  His  gracious 
intentions.  So  must  we.  If  old  plans  will  not  answer,  we  must 
try  new  ones,  for  fresh  experiments  sometimes  achieve  more  than 
regular  methods.  Christ's  perseverence,  and  the  unity  of  His  pur- 
pose, are  also  hinted  at,  and  the  practical  application  of  the  sub- 
ject may  be  summed  up  in  the  words,  "He  hath  left  us  an  example 
that  we  should  follow  in  His  steps." 


HE  APPEARED  FIRST  TO  MARY  MAGDALENE,  OUT 
OF  WHOM  HE  HAD  CAST  SEVEN  DEVILS. 

(mark  16:9.) 

Mary  of  Magdala  was  the  victim  of  a  fearful  evil.  She  was 
possessed  by  not  one  devil  only,  but  seven.  These  dreadful  in- 
mates caused  much  pain  and  pollution  to  the  poor  frame  in  which 
they  had  found  a  lodging.  Hers  was  a  hopeless,  horrible  case. 
She  could  not  help  herself,  neither  could  any  human  succor  avail. 
But  Jesus  passed  that  way,  and  unsought,  and  probably  even  re- 
sisted by  the  poor  demoniac.  He  uttered  the  word  of  power,  and 
Mary  of  Magdala  became  a  trophy  of  the  healing  pozver  of  Jesus. 
All  the  seven  demons  left  her,  left  her  never  to  return,  forcibly 
ejected  by  the  Lord  of  all.  What  a  blessed  deliverance !  What  a 
happy  change !  From  delirium  to  delight,  from  despair  to  peace, 
from  hell  to  heaven  !  Straightway  she  became  a  constant  follozver 
of  Jesus,  catching  His  every  word,  following  His  devious  steps, 
sharing  His  toilsome  life :  and  withal  she  became  Jlis  generous 
helper,  first  among  that  band  of  healed  and  grateful  women  who 
ministered  unto  Him  of  their  substance.      When  Jesus  was  lifted 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  181 

Up  in  crucifixion,  Mary  remained  the  sharer  of  His  shame  :  v^-e  tind 
her  first  beholding  from  afar,  and  then  drawing  near  to  the  foot 
of  the  cross.  She  could  not  die  on  the  cross  with  Jesus,  but  she 
stood  as  near  it  as  she  could,  and  when  His  blessed  body  was  taken 
down,  she  watched  to  see  how  and  where  it  was  laid.  She  was 
the  faithful  and  zvatchful  believer,  last  at  the  sepulchre  where 
Jesus  slept,  first  at  the  grave  whence  He  arose.  Her  holy  fidelity 
made  her  a  favored  beholder  of  her  beloved  Rabboni,  who  deigned 
to  call  her  by  name,  and  to  make  her  His  messenger  of  good  news 
to  the  trembling  disciples  and  Peter.  Thus  grace  found  her  a 
maniac  and  made  her  a  minister,  cast  out  devils  and  gave  her  to 
behold  angels,  delivered  her  from  Satan  and  united  her  forever 
to  the  Lord  Jesus.    May  I  also  be  such  a  miracle  of  grace ! 


THE   HEALING   OF   THE   LEPER. 
(mark  1:40-45.) 

**And  there  came  a  leper  to  Him,  beseeching  Him,  and  kneel- 
ing down  to  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst 
make  me  clean. 

"And  Jesus,  moved  with  compassion,  put  forth  His  hand, 
and  touched  him,  and  saith  unto  him,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean. 

''And  as  soon  as  He  had  spoken,  immediately  the  leprosy 
departed  from  him,  and  he  was  cleansed." 

Primeval  darkness  heard  the  Almighty  fiat,  ''  Light  be,"  and 
straightway  light  was ;  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  equal 
in  majesty  to  that  ancient  word  of  power.  Redemption,  like  Cre- 
ation, has  its  word  of  might.  Jesus  speaks  and  it  is  done.  Leprosy 
yielded  to  no  human  remedies,  but  it  fled  at  once  at  the  Lord's  "  I 
will."  The  disease  exhibited  no  hopeful  signs  or  tokens  of  re- 
covery; nature  contributed  nothing  to  its  own  healing;  but  the 
unaided  word  effected  the  entire  work  on  the  spot  and  forever. 
The  sinner  is  in  a  plight  more  miserable  than  the  leper ;  let  him 
imitate  his  example,  and  go  to  Jesus,  ''  beseeching  Him,  and  kneel- 
ing down  to  Him."  Let  him  exercise  what  little  faith  he  has, 
even  though  it  should  go  no  further  than,  "  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt. 
Thou  canst  make  me  clean" ;  and  there  need  be  no  doubt  as  to  the 
result  of  the  application.  Jesus  heals  all  who  come,  and  casts  out 
none.     It  is  worthy  of  devout  notice  that  Jesus  touched  the  leper. 


182  DIVINE     HEALING. 

This  unclean  person  had  broken  through  the  regulations  of  the 
ceremonial  law,  and  pressed  into  the  house ;  but  Jesus,  so  far  from 
chiding  him,  broke  through  the  law  Himself  in  order  to  meet  him. 
He  made  an  interchange  with  the  leper,  for  while  He  cleansed  him, 
He  contracted  by  that  touch  a  Levitical  defilement.  Even  so  Jesus 
Christ  was  made  sin  for  us,  although  in  Himself  He  knew  no  sin, 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him.  O  that 
poor  sinners  would  go  to  Jesus,  believing  in  the  power  of  His 
blessed  substitutionary  work,  and  they  would  soon  learn  the  power 
of  His  gracious  touch.  That  hand  which  multiplied  the  loaves, 
which  saved  sinking  Peter,  which  upholds  afflicted  saints,  which 
crowns  believers,  that  same  hand  will  touch  every  seeking  sinner, 
and  in  a  moment  make  him  clean.  The  love  of  Jesus  is  the  source 
of  salvation.     He  loves,  He  looks,  He  touches  us,  we  live. 


THE    HEALING    POWER    OF    CHRIST. 

Though  eighteen  hundred  years  are  past 
Since  Christ  did  in  the  flesh  appear. 

His  tender  mercies  ever  last, 

And  still  His  healing  power  is  here. 

Would  He  the  body  health  restore. 

And  not  regard  the  sin-sick  soul? 

The  sin-sick  soul  He  loves  much  more, 
And  surely  He  will  make  it  whole. 

All  my  disease,  my  every  sin. 

To  Thee,  O  Jesus,  I  confess. 

In  pardon.  Lord,  my  cure  begin, 
And  perfect  it  in  holiness. 

That  token  of  Thine  utmost  good. 
Now,  Savior,  now,  on  me  bestow ; 

And  purge  my  conscience  with  Thy  blood. 
And  wash  my  nature  white  as  snow. 


ALL  THE  CITY  WAS  GATHERED  TOGETHER. 


Miyn     A^  D     FAITH     CURE.  185 


ALL  THE  CITY  WAS  GATHERED  TOGETHER. 

(mark  1:32-34.) 

''And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they  brought  unto  Him 
all  that  were  diseased,  and  them  that  were  possessed  with  devils. 

"And  all  the  city  was  gathered  together  at  the  door. 

"And  He  healed  many  that  were  sick  of  divers  diseases,  and 
cast  out  many  devils ;  and  suffered  not  the  devils  to  speak,  because 
they  knew  Him." 

What  a  mass  of  hideous  sickness  must  have  thrust  itself  under 
the  eye  of  Jesus !  Yet  we  read  not  that  He  was  disgusted,  but 
patiently  waited  on  every  case.  What  a  singular  variety  of  evils 
must  have  met  at  His  feet !  What  sickening  ulcers  and  putrefying 
sores !  Yet  He  was  ready  for  every  new  shape  of  the  monster 
evil,  and  was  victor  over  it  in  every  form.  Let  the  arrow  fly  from 
what  quarter  it  might.  He  quenched  its  fiery  power.  The  heat  of 
fever,  or  the  cold  of  dropsy ;  the  lethargy  of  palsy,  or  the  rage  of 
madness;  the  filth  of  leprosy,  or  the  darkness  of  ophthalmia,  all 
knew  the  power  of  His  word,  and  fled  at  His  command. 


JESUS    TEACHING    IN    THE    SYNAGOGUES. 
(matt.  4:31-25.) 

"And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues, and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing 
all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the 
people. 

"And  His  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria :  and  they  brought 
unto  Him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and 
torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those 
which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy :  and  He  healed 
them." 

In  every  corner  of  the  field.  He  was  triumphant  over  evil,  and 
received  the  homage  of  delivered  captives.  He  came,  He  saw, 
He  conquered  everywhere.  It  is  even  so  this  morning.  Whatever 
my  own  case  may  be,  the  beloved  Physician  can  heal  me ;  and 
whatever  may  be  the  state  of  others  whom  I  may  remember  at 


186  DIVINE     HEALING. 

this  moment  in  prayer,  I  may  hope  in  Jesus  that  He  will  be  able 
to  heal  them  of  their  sins.  My  child,  my  friend,  my  dearest  one, 
I  can  have  hope  for  each,  for  all,  when  I  remember  the  healing 
power  of  my  Lord ;  and  on  my  own  account,  however  severe  my 
struggle  with  sins  and  infirmities,  I  may  yet  be  of  good  cheer.  He 
who  on  earth  walked  the  hospitals  still  dispenses  His  grace,  and 
works  wonders  among  the  sons  of  man :  let  me  go  to  Him  at  once 
in  right  earnest.  Let  me  praise  Him,  this  morning,  as  I  remember 
hozv  He  wrought  His  spiritual  cures,  which  bring  Him  most 
renown.  It  was  by  taking  upon  Himself  our  sicknesses.  **By  His 
stripes  we  are  healed."  The  Church  on  earth  is  full  of  souls 
healed  by  our  beloved  Physician;  and  the  inhabitants  of  heaven 
itself  confess  that  '*He  healed  them  all."  Come,  then,  and  publish 
abroad  the  virtue  of  His  grace,  and  let  it  be  "to  the  Lord  for  a 
name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  which  shall  not  be  cut  off." 


HUMBLE     THYSELF. 

God  will  deny  no  blessing  to  a  thoroughly  humbled  spirit. 
"Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,"  with  all  its  riches  and  treasures.  The  whole  exchequer 
of  God  shall  be  made  over  by  deed  of  gift  to  the  soul  which  is 
humble  enough  to  be  able  to  receive  it  without  growing  proud  be- 
cause of  it.  God  blesses  us  all  up  to  the  full  measure  and 
extremity  of  what  it  is  safe  for  Him  to  do.  If  you  do  not  get  a 
blessing,  it  is  because  it  is  not  safe  for  you  to  have  one.  If  out- 
heavenly  Father  were  to  let  your  unhumbled  spirit  win  a  victory 
in  His  holy  war,  you  would  pilfer  the  crown  for  yourself,  and 
meeting  with  a  fresh  enemy  you  would  fall  a  victim ;  so  that  you 
are  kept  low  for  your  own  safety.  When  a  man  is  sincerely 
humble,  and  never  ventures  to  touch  so  much  as  a  grain  of  the 
praise,  there  is  scarcely  any  limit  to  what  God  will  do  for  him. 
Humility  makes  us  ready  to  be  blessed  by  the  God  of  all  grace, 
and  fits  us  to  deal  efficiently  with  our  fellow-men.  True  humility 
is  a  flower  which  will  adorn  any  garden.  This  is  a  sauce  with 
which  you  may  season  every  dish  of  life,  and  you  will  find  an  im- 
provement in  every  case.  Whether  it  be  prayer  or  praise,  whether 
it  be  work  or  suffering,  the  genuine  salt  of  humility  cannot  be 
used  in  excess. 


JESUS  HEALETH  GREAT  MULTITUDES. 


V 


fB^A«T 


TH£ 


Cm 


of 


IND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  189 


JESUS  HEALETH   GREAT  MULTITUDES  OF 
DISEASED    AND    SICK    PEOPLE. 

(matt.  4:23-25.) 

''And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues, and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people. 

''And  His  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria :  and  they  brought 
unto  Him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases 
and  torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and 
those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy;  and  He 
healed  them. 

"And  there  followed  Him  great  multitudes  of  people  from 
Galilee,  and  from  Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  Judea, 
and  from  beyond  Jordan." 


THE    HEALING    OF    THE    LAME    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 

(matt.  21:14.) 

"And  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  Him  in  the  temple ;  and 
He  healed  them." 

The  Lord's  people  are  dear  for  another's  sake.  Such  is  the 
love  which  the  Father  bears  to  His  Only  Begotten,  that  for  His 
sake  He  raises  His  lowly  brethren  from  poverty  and  banishment 
to  courtly  companionship,  noble  rank  and  royal  provision.  Their 
deformity  shall  not  rob  them  of  their  privileges.  Lameness  is  no 
bar  to  sonship ;  the  cripple  is  as  much  the  heir  as  if  he  could  run 
like  Asahel.  Our  right  does  not  limp,  though  our  might  may. 
A  king's  table  is  a  noble  hiding-place  for  lame  legs,  and  at  the 
gospel  feast  we  learn  to  glory  in  infirmities,  because  the  power  of 
Christ  resteth  upon  us.  Yet  grievous  disability  may  mar  the  per- 
sons of  the  best-loved  saints.  Here  is  one  feasted  by  David,  and 
yet  so  lame  in  both  his  feet  that  he  could  not  go  up  with  the  king 
when  he  fled  from  the  city,  and  was  therefore  maligned  and  in- 
jured by  his  servant  Ziba.  Saints  whose  faith  is  weak,  and 
whose  knowledge  is  slender,  are  great  losers ;  they  are  exposed 


190  DIYINE    HEALING. 

to  many  enemies,  and  cannot  follow  the  King  whithersoever  He 
goeth.  This  disease  frequently  arises  from  falls.  Bad  nursing  in 
their  spiritual  infancy  often  causes  converts  to  fall  into  a  des- 
pondency from  which  they  never  recover,  and  sin  in  other  cases 
brings  broken  bones.  Lord,  help  the  lame  to  leap  like  a  hart,  and 
satisfy  all  Thy  people  with  the  bread  of  Thy  table ! 

O  God,  to  Whom,  in  flesh  reveal'd, 

The  helpless  all  for  succor  came : 
The  sick  to  be  relieved  and   heal'd. 

And  found  salvation  in  Thy  name : — 

Thou  seest  me  helpless  and  distress'd. 

Feeble,  and  faint,  and  blind,  and  poor; 

Weary,  I  come  to  Thee  for  rest; 
And,  sick  of  sin,  implore  a  cure. 

My  sin's  incurable  disease, 

Thou,  Jesus,  Thou  alone  canst  heal ; 

Inspire  me  with  Thy  power  and  peace, 
And  pardon  on  my  conscience  seal. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  191 

PETER  HEALETH  ENEAS  OF  THE  PALSY. 
(acts  9:32-34.) 

''And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Peter  passed  throughout  all  quarters, 
he  came  down  also  to  the  saints  which  dwelt  at  Lydda. 

"And  there  he  found  a  certain  man  named  Eneas,  which  had 
kept  his  bed  eight  years,  and  was  sick  of  the  palsy. 

"And  Peter  said  unto  him,  Eneas,  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee 
whole :  arise,  and  make  thy  bed.    And  he  arose  immediately." 

.  In  the  first  place,  then,  it  was  very  clear  that  the  man  ivas 
truly  sick.  Had  he  not  been  really  sick,  the  incident  before  us 
would  have  been  all  a  piece  of  imposture — a  feint  and  a  pretense 
from  beginning  to  end :  but  he  was  hopelessly  infirm.  He  had 
been  anxiously  watched  by  his  friends  for  eight  years,  and  was 
so  completely  palsied  that  during  all  those  years  he  had  not  left 
his  bed,  which  had  grown  hard  as  a  stone  beneath  him.  Now, 
as  there  is  no  room  for  a  great  cure  unless  there  is  a  great  sick- 
ness, so  there  is  no  room  for  God's  great  grace  unless  there  L^ 
great  sin.  Jesus  Christ  did  not  come  into  the  world  to  save  sham 
sinners,  but  real  sinners;  neither  did  he  descend  from  heaven  to 
seek  those  who  are  not  diseased  with  sin,  for  the  whole  have  no 
need  for  a  physician,  but  He  has  come  to  seek  those  who  are  deeply 
diseased,  and  to  give  them  real  healing.  This  man's  sickness 
was  no  imaginary  ill,  for  he  could  not  move ;  his  hands  and  feet 
were  quite  paralyzed.  If  in  any  limb  there  was  a  measure  of 
motion,  it  was  only  a  tremulous  quiver,  which  rather  indicated 
growing  weakness  than  remaining  force.  He  was  bereaved  of  all 
strength.  Are  you  such  by  nature,  my  friend,  in  a  spiritual  sense  ? 
Certainly  you  are  so ;  but  have  you  found  it  out  ?  Has  the  Spirit 
of  God  made  you  feel  that  you  can  do  nothing  aright  apart  from 
Him,  and  that  you  are  altogether  ruined  and  palsied  unless  Jesus 
Christ  can  save  you  ?  If  so,  do  not  despair  because  you  feel  how 
terribly  your  soul  is  smitten ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  say  to  your- 
self, "Here  is  room  for  mercy  in  me.  If  ever  a  soul  wanted 
healing,  I  do.  Here  is  space  for  divine  power  to  operate  in  me, 
for  if  ever  a  soul  was  weak  and  palsied,  I  am  just  that  soul."  Be 
thou  cheered  with  the  hope  that  God  will  make  of  thine  infirmity 
a  platform  upon  which  He  will  display  His  power. 

This  man  had  been  paralyzed  eight  years.     The  length  of  it< 
endurance  is  a  terrible  element  in  a  disease.     Perhaps  yours  is 


192  DIVIN  E    H  EALIN  a  . 

no  eight  years'  malady,  but  twenty-eight,  or  thirty-eight,  or  forty- 
eight,  or  seventy-eight,  perhaps,  eighty-eight  years  you  have  been 
in  bondage  under  it.  Well,  blessed  be  God,  the  number  of  years 
in  which  we  have  lived  in  sin  cannot  prevent  the  mercy  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  from  making  us  whole.  You  have  a  very  long  bill 
to  discharge,  while  another  friend  has  but  a  short  one,  and  owes 
comparatively  little ;  but  it  is  just  as  easy  for  the  creditor  to 
write  ''paid"  at  the  bottom  of  the  large  bill  as  the  smaller  one. 
And  now  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  made  full  atonement 
it  is  as  easy  for  God  to  pardon  the  iniquities  of  eighty  years  a« 
the  sins  of  the  child  of  eight.  Be  not  despairing,  then.  Jesus 
Christ  can  make  such  as  thou  art  whole,  even  though  thy  heart 
and  thine  understanding  have  been  long  paralyzed  with  sin. 

This  man's  disease  was  one  which  was  then  reckoned  to  be, 
and  probably  is  now,  entirely  incurable.  Who  can  restore  a  palsied 
man?  Eneas  could  not  restore  himself,  and  no  merely  human 
physician  had  skill  to  do  anything  for  him.  Dear  reader,  has  the 
Spirit  of  God  made  you  feel  that  your  soul's  wound  is  incurable? 
Is  your  heart  sick?  Is  your  understanding  darkened?  Do  you 
feel  your  whole  nature  to  have  become  paralyzed  with  sin,  and 
there  is  no  physician?  Ah,  I  know  there  is  none  among  men,  for 
there  is  no  balm  in  Gilead,  there  is  no  physician  there.  There 
is  no  soul  physician  except  in  Calvary ;  no  balm  but  in  the 
Savior's  wounds. 

'Tf  with  thy  heart  thou  wilt  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  with  thy  mouth  make  confession  of  him,  thou  shalt  be 
saved."  There  is  naught  to  be  done ;  there  is  naught  to  be  felt ; 
there  is  naught  to  be  brought.  No  preparation  is  wanted.  Come 
just  as  you  are,  and  trust  Christ  to  save  you  out  and  out  this 
night,  and  you  shall  be  saved.  God's  honor  and  Christ's  word 
are  pledged  to  it. 

This  is  the  last  thing.  When  Eneas  was  healed  he  acted 
in  conformity  therezvith.  "Peter  said  unto  him,  Eneas,  Jesus 
Christ  maketh  thee  whole :  arise,  and  make  thy  bed."  He  did 
so.     He  arose  directly  and  made  his  bed. 

Now,  if  any  of  you  say  to-night,  'T  have  believed  in  Jesus," 
remember  you  are  bound  to  prove  it.  How  prove  it?  Why,  if 
you  have  believed  in  Jesus,  you  are  made  whole,  and  you  are  to  go 
home  and  show  people  how  whole  you  are.  This  man  was 
palsied,  and  had  been  lying  there  prostrate  eight  years,  and  could 
never  make  his  bed,  but  he  proved  he  was  healed  by  making  iiis 
bed  for  himself.     Perhaps  here  is  a  man  who  when  he  has  en- 


M  IN  D    AND    FAIT  H    CURE  .  193 

terecl  his  house  has  generally  opened  the  door  with  an  oath.  If 
there  is  such  a  person  here,  and  Christ  saves  you — he  will  wash 
your  mouth  out  for  you.  You  will  have  done  with  profane  lan- 
guage forever.  Your  wife  will  be  surprised  when  you  go  home 
to  hear  how  differently  you  talk.  Perhaps  you  have  been  used 
to  mix  with  rough  companions  in  your  work,  and  you  have  talked 
as  they  have  done ;  if  Jesus  Christ  has  made  you  whole,  there 
is  an  end  to  all  filthy  speaking.  Now  you  will  talk  graciously, 
sweetly,  cleanly,  profitably.  In  years  gone  by  you  were  angry 
and  passionate;  if  Jesus  Christ  has  made  you  whole,  you  will 
be  as  tender  as  a  lamb.  You  will  find  the  old  lion  lifting  his  head 
and  giving  an  occasional  roar  and  a  shake  of  his  mane,  but  then 
he  will  be  claimed  by  the  restraints  of  grace,  while  the  meek 
and  gentle  lamb  of  the  new  nature  will  feed  in  pastures  wide 
and  green.  Ah,  if  the  Lord  has  saved  you,  the  drunkard's  ale- 
bench  will  have  no  more  of  you,  for  you  will  want  better  com- 
pany than  the  seats  of  scoflfers  can  aflford  you.  If  the  Lord  saves 
you,  you  will  want  to  do  something  for  Him,  to  show  your  grate- 
ful love.  I  know  this  very  night  you  will  long  to  tell  your  chil- 
dren, and  tell  your  friends,  that  Jesus  Christ  has  made  you  whole. 
John  Bunyan  says  that  when  he  was  made  whole  he  wanted  to 
tell  the  crows  on  the  ploughed  land  about  it.  I  do  not  wonder  that 
he  did.  Tell  anybody,  tell  everybody,  "Jesus  Christ  has  saved 
me."  It  is  a  sensation  the  like  of  which  no  man  can  imagine, 
if  he  has  not  felt  it,  to  be  made  a  new  creature  right  away,  in  a 
moment.  That  surprises  all  who  see  it,  and  as  people  like  to  tell 
news — strange  news — so  does  a  new-born  man  long  to  go  and 
tell  others,  *T  have  been  born  again ;  I  have  found  the  Savior." 

Now,  mark  you  will  have  to  prove  that  this  is  so  by  an  honest, 
upright,  consistent,  holy  life, — not,  however,  by  being  merelv 
sternly  honest.  If  Christ  has  saved  you.  He  will  save  you  from 
being  selfish.  You  will  love  your  fellow  men ;  you  will  desire  lo 
do  them  good.  You  will  endeavor  to  help  the  poor ;  you  will  try 
to  instruct  the  ignorant.  He  who  truly  becomes  a  Christian  be- 
comes in  that  very  same  day  a  practical  philanthropist.  No  man 
is  a  true  Christian  who  is  un-Christlike — who  can  live  for  himself 
alone,  to  hoard  money  to  make  himself  great.  The  true  Christian 
lives  for  others;  in  a  word,  he  lives  for  Christ.  If  Christ  has 
healed  you,  gentle  compassion  will  saturate  your  soul  from  this 
time  forth  and  forever.  O  Master,  thou  who  didst  heal  men's 
bodies  in  the  days  of  thy  flesh,  heal  men's  hearts  to-night,  we 
pray  thee. 


194  DIVINE    HEALING. 

Still  this  word  more.  Somebody  says,  "Oh,  I  wish  I  had 
Christ !"  Soul,  why  not  have  Him  at  once  ?  "Oh,  but  I  am  not 
fit."  You  never  will  be  fit;  you  cannot  be  fit,  except  in  the 
sense  in  which  you  are  fit  even  now.  What  is  fitness  for  washing  ? 
Why,  being  dirty.  What  is  fitness  for  alms?  Why,  being  !n 
distress.  What  is  fitness  for  a  doctor?  Why,  being  ill.  This  is 
all  the  fitness  that  a  man  wants  for  trusting  in  Christ  to  save 
him.  Christ's  mercy  is  to  be  had  for  nothing,  bribe  or  purchase 
is  out  of  the  question.  I  have  heard  of  a  woman  whose  child  was 
in  a  fever  and  needed  grapes;  and  there  was  a  prince  who  lived 
near,  in  whose  hothouse  there  were  some  of  the  rarest  grapes 
that  had  ever  been  grown.  She  scraped  together  the  little  money 
she  could  earn,  and  went  to  the  gardener  and  offered  to  buy  a 
bunch  of  the  royal  fruit.  Of  course  he  repulsed  her,  and  said 
they  were  not  to  be  sold.  Did  she  imagine  that  the  prince  grew 
grapes  to  sell  like  a  market  gardener?  And  he  sent  her  on  her 
way,  much  grieved.  She  came  again;  she  came  several  times, 
for  a  mother's  importunity  is  great;  but  no  offer  of  hers  would 
be  accepted.  At  last  the  princess  heard  of  it  and  wished  to  see 
the  woman;  and  when  she  came  the  princess  said,  "The  prince 
does  not  sell  the  fruit  of  his  garden :"  but,  snipping  off  a  bunch  of 
grapes  and  dropping  them  into  a  little  bag,  she  said,  "He  is  always 
ready  to  give  it  away  to  the  poor."  Now,  here  is  the  rich  cluster  of 
gospel  salvation  for  the  true  vine.  My  Lord  will  not  sell  it,  but 
He  is  always  ready  to  give  it  away  to  all  who  humbly  ask  for  it ; 
and  if  you  want  it  come  and  take  it,  and  take  it  now  by  believing 
in  Jesus. 

HAVE  FAITH. 

It  is  the  will  of  God  that  each  of  His  people  reach  a  plane 
of  faith  where  victory  can  be  claimed  in  the  face  of  the  most  severe 
trial.  The  faith  that  knows  no  give  up,  give  down,  give  in,  nor 
give  out. 

DO  NOT  FAINT. 

The  word  faint  in  Luke  18  :1  is  taken  from  the  Greek  ekkakeo 
and  signifies  to  turn  out  badly,  to  cave  in.  Jesus  teaches  us  the 
lesson  here  that  to  faint  means  to  be  defeated.  We  must  pray,  ana 
not  faint.    During  the  fainting  spells,  the  Devil  has  his  own  way. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE .  195 

A  soldier  in  battle,  just  in  the  fiercest  part  of  the  engagement, 
when  every  step  and  action  weighs  heavily  against  the  foe,  knows 
that  there  is  no  time  to  go  into  a  fainting  spell.  If  he  does,  he  is 
sure  to  be  defeated  if  not  killed  outright.  To  faint  under  such 
circumstances  means  to  lie  limp  at  the  feet  of  the  enemy,  to  be 
put  to  death,  or  to  be  dragged  into  prison.  Nothing  is  so  fatal  to 
the  victory  of  a  child  of  God  as  fainting.  The  hardest  struggle 
always  precedes  victory.  The  most  trying  time  to  our  faith  is 
just  before  the  victory  comes.  This  is  the  very  point  where  we 
are  the  most  liable  to  faint.    We  must  pray  and  not  faint. 

AN  INCREASE  OF  FAITH. 

will  be  preceded  by  a  decrease  of  .unbelief.  The  filling  of  the 
Spirit,  by  an  emptying  of  self.  An  ascent  to  the  plane  of  aspos- 
tolic  faith  and  power,  by  a  descent  into  apostolic  humility. 

THE  STRONGEST  ARGUMENT. 

All  the  arguments  of  men  to  prove  God's  word  to  be  true  may 
be  defeated,  but  when  the  church  puts  the  promises  to  the  test 
and  the  answer  comes  by  iire,  the  unbeliever  will  fall  upon  his 
face  and  confess  that  ''the  Lord  He  is  the  God." 

BOUNDLESS  LIFE. 

The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Life  for  spirit,  soul,  and  body,  as  illimitable  as  the  pure  air  out 
upon  the  mountain.  We  can  open  our  lungs  and  breathe  to  the 
full  without  the  slightest  fear  that  the  air  will  be  exhausted.  The 
little  fish  in  the  depths  of  the  great  Pacific  can  drink  and  drink, 
and  there  is  not  the  least  possibility  that  it  will  ever  exhaust  the 
mighty  deep.  So  the  child  of  God  can  freely  breathe  in  the  bound- 
less grace  and  life  of  God.  He  can  freely  drink  of  the  water  of 
life,  until  he  becomes  filled  with  God.  Whosoever  will  may  do 
the  same,  and  yet  the  supply  remains  undiminished. 

OBEDIENCE. 

In  the  health  covenant  with  Israel  we  see  the  conditions  for 
health  were  very  simple.    If  thou  wilt  diligently  harken.     If  thou 


196  DIVINE    HEALING. 

wilt  do.  If  thou  wilt  give  ear.  If  thou  wiU  keep.  God  could 
not  be  expected  to  heal  if  these  conditions  were  not  met.  The 
new  covenant  has  not  repealed  these  conditions.  Obedience  Is 
the  key  to  the  blessings. 

TEN  QUESTIONS. 

Why  do  we  not  have  a  single  instance  in  the  Word  of  God 
of  some  one  of  His  people  being  engaged  in  Israel  as  a  physician  ? 

Why  is  it  that  we  read  nothing  good  of  physicians  anywhere  in 
the  history  of  God's  people? 

Why  do  we  not  read  of  one  case  of  healing  by  physicians—- 
just  one,  somewhere  in  the  Word  of  God? 

Why  does  Job  speak  of  '^physicians  of  no  value"? 

Why  do  we  have  it  so  definitely  stated  in  sacred  history  con- 
cerning King  Asa,  that  he  "sought  not  to  the  Lord,  but  to  the 
physicians"  ? 

Why  did  not  God  appoint  and  provide  physicians  among  His 
people  in  the  days  of  Israel,  when  He  made  the  health  covenant 
with  them  ? 

Why  is  the  account  so  plainly  given  in  the  New  Testament  con- 
cerning the  woman  who  "suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians, 
and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse"? 

Why  did  not  Jesus  select  some  of  these  physicians  for  His 
medical  staff,  when  He  "went  about  doing  good  and  healing  all 
that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil"  ? 

Why  did  not  the  apostle  James  instruct  the  church,  "Is  any 
sick  among  you  ?  let  him  send  for  a  physician"  ? 

Why  is  it  that  during  the  first  two  and  one-half  centuries 
of  the  church  there  was  no  other  than  divine  healing  known  in 
the  church?  The  answer — "I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee;" 
and,  "Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." — 
Matt.  8  :17. 


FAITH. 

Faith  is  believing  God.  Doubt  is  believing  the  Devil.  "Faith  is 
the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen." 
"Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  But  do  not  say 
you  have  no  faith.    If  you  know  you  are  God's  child,  you  know  it 


MIND    AND    FAIT  H    CURE  .  ,  197 

is  because  you  have  obeyed  Him  and  believed.  You  did  not  feel 
you  were  saved  until  you  first  obeyed  and  believed.  We  must 
receive  the  witness  of  the  word,  before  we  may  expect  to  receive 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  We  must  believe  before  we  feel.  Feel- 
ing is  but  the  result  of  believing.  It  is  the  visible  effect  of  the 
power  of  the  invisible  reality — faith.  If  we  want  God  to  put  faith 
into  us,  we  must  put  faith  into  His  word.  Some  promises  of 
men  are  too  good  to  be  true,  but  this  is  not  the  case  with  the 
promises  of  God. 

Jesus  said  to  the  centurion,  "Go  thy  way,  and  as  thou  hast 
believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee."  Could  not  we  have  believed, 
had  we  been  there  ?  This  man  had  an  extraordinary  faith  for  that 
day,  but  it  was  no  more  than  every  one  might  have  had.  It  is  no 
more  than  we  may  have.  How  much  did  he  have?  Here  is  the 
answer — "Speak  the  word  only,"  and  it  shall  be  done.  Have 
not  we  as  much  ?  If  we  could  see  Jesus  face  to  face  today,  could 
we  not  say,  "Speak  the  word  only,  and  my  disease  shall  be  healed"  .^ 
Dear  sufferer,  there  is  a  nearness  to  Jesus  in  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  where  we  can  speak  with  Him  face  to  face.  There 
is  a  secret  dwelling-place  within  the  second  veil,  where  only  He 
is  seen  and  heard.  Here  and  here  only  can  we  hear  Him  say 
to  us  in  the  depth  of  our  inmost  soul,  "As  thou  hast  believed,  so 
be  it  done  unto  thee."  Seek  this  nearness  in  Him.  Here  His  very 
presence  dispels  every  power  of  disease,  infirmity,  and  sorrow. 


CONVERSION  AND  HEALING. 

Conversion.  "Strengthen  ye  the  weak  hands  and  confirm  the 
feeble  knees.  Say  to  them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart.  Be  strong, 
fear  not :  behold,  your  God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God 
with  a  recompense ;  He  will  come  and  save  you. 

Healing.  "Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the 
ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man 
leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing." — Isa.  35  :3-6. 

Conversion.  "But  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions. 
He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  Him. 

Healing.  "Surely,  He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our 
sorrows:  yet  we  did  esteem  Him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and 
afflicted.     With  His  stripes  we  are  healed." — Isa.  53  :4,  5. 


198  .  DIVINE    HE ALINO. 

Conversion.  **Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body 
on  the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteous- 
ness. 

Healing.  "By  whose  stripes  ye  were  healed." — 1  Pet.  2  :24. 
"And  behold  they  brought  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  lying  on  a 
bed. 

Conversion.  "And  Jesus,  seeing  their  faith,  said  to  the  sick 
of  the  palsy.  Son,  be  of  good  cheer:  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee. 
And,  behold,  certain  of  the  scribes  said  within  themselves.  This 
man  blasphemeth.  And  Jesus  knowing  their  thoughts,  said, 
Wherefore  think  ye  evil  in  your  hearts?  For  whether  is  easier 
to  say.  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,  or  to  say.  Arise  and  walk? 
But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man  hath  power  on  earth 
to  forgive  sins  (then  saith  He  to  the  sick  of  the  palsy). 

Healing.  "Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  unto  thine  house. 
And  he  arose  and  departed  to  his  house." — Matt.  9  :2-7. 

"For  this  people's  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  are 
dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  have  they  closed ;  lest  at  any  time 
they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and 
should  understand  with  their  heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and 
I  should  heal  them."— Matt.  13  :15. 

"And  He  sent  them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God  and  to  heal 
the  sick.  And  they  departed,  and  went  through  the  towns,  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere." — Luke  9  :2-6. 

Conversion  and  healing  are  here  presented  to  us  upon  an  equal 
basis  in  the  redemption  plan,  and  we  are  enabled  to  see  that  God 
was  not  forgetful  of  the  physical  needs  of  the  fallen  race  when  He 
anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives 
and  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised.  There  are  three  im- 
portant scriptural  truths  made  plain  in  these  texts. 

1.  Healing  is  in  the  redemption  plan.  2.  It  stands  in  this 
plan  upon  an  equal  basis  with  conversion.  3.  God  is  as  able  and 
willing  to  heal  as  He  is  to  save. 

Human  logic  argues  to  the  contrary,  but  this  does  not  change 
the  word  of  God.  As  truly  as  the  prophet  saw,  by  the  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  the  life  and  ministry  of  Jesus  and  the 
apostles  and  the  whole  gospel  dispensation,  should  be  marked  by 
the  grace  of  God  to  save  from  sin,  so  he  saw  this  same  grace  of 
healing.  It  is  a  most  glorious  and  soul-cheering  prophecy  indeed. 
It  inspires  hope  and  comfort  to  every  soul  who  is  weary  and  heavv 
laden  with  sin. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  199 

God  has  promised  to  come  with  a  recompense.  What  is  this 
recompense?  It  is  salvation  to  every  one  who  seeks  God.  *'He 
will  come  and  save  you."  He  will  come  with  vengeance  against 
your  sins,  but  with  a  recompense  of  salvation  to  every  seeking 
soul,  even  to  him  who  has  a  fearful  heart.  ''Be  strong,  fear  not,'' 
says  the  voice  of  inspiration.  Every  doubt  and  fear  may  be  cast 
aside,  and  the  guilty  soul  may  come  with  confidence  and  assur- 
ance in  the  promises.  God  will  save.  But  can  we  not  hear  that 
voice  in  the  same  breath  proclaiming  the  glorious  gospel  of 
healing?  And  can  we  not  see  in  the  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy, 
when  the  gospel  day  began  to  shine,  that  the  blind  eyes  were 
opened,  the  deaf  ears  were  unstopped,  the  lame  leaped,  and  the 
tongues  of  the  dumb  were  made  to  speak  ?  These  prophecies  are 
predictions  of  the  glorious  redemption  of  the  gospel,  and  they  are 
fulfilled  to  the  very  letter  in  this  gospel  day. 

''Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows,' 
which  in  its  fulfillment  is  translated,  "Himself  took  our  infirm- 
ities and  bare  our  sicknesses."  This  is  so  plain  to  every  honest 
and  willing  mind,  as  to  need  no  comment.  He  himself  has  brought 
this  deliverance,  which  He  has  so  dearly  purchased  by  taking  all 
our  sins  and  sicknesses  upon  Himself;  for  by  His  vicarious  suf- 
ferings on  the  cross  He  paid  the  redemption  price,  and  was  en- 
abled to  offer  to  this  sin  and  disease  cursed  world  this  perfect 
redemption  liberty.  This,  He  had  the  power  to  bestow  upon  all 
who  believed  on  Him,  even  before  the  work  of  His  atonement  was 
consummated  upon  the  cross.  His  whole  life  was  the  divine 
expression  of  redemption,  but  it  all  centered  in  the  cross.  In  view 
of  this  fact  He  granted  salvation  and  healing  to  all  who  came  to 
Him,  previous  to  the  cross ;  and  through  the  apostles  and  all  be- 
lievers since  then,  the  same  blessings  have  been  realized — not  to 
those  who  believe  not,  but  to  those  who  believe.  The  words  and 
deeds  of  Christ  are  the  divine  interpretation  of  the  redemption 
plan.  No  one,  therefore,  from  this  standpoint  can  fail  to  see 
that  healing  is  a  redemption  blessing  and  an  important  part  in 
the  redemption  plan. 

The  life  and  ministry  of  Christ  also  prove  beyond  doubt  that 
divine  healing  stands  on  an  equal  with  conversion  in  this  great 
plan.  No  case  can  be  cited  in  the  records  of  His  life  where  He 
ever  turned  a  suffering  mortal  away.  The  blessed  "I  will"  was 
the  universal  response  either  in  word  or  deed  to  every  request. 
His  interest  in  the  body  was  everyv/here  manifest  with   equal 


200  DI  VI  N  E     HEALI  xY  G  . 

tenderness  with  that  in  the  soul.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  The 
body  is  a  necessary  part  of  our  being-,  and  has  most  certainly 
partaken  of  the  deadly  effects  of  the  fall — sickness  and  physical 
death — which  must  necessarily  be  removed  through  redemption. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  How  much  of  the  effect  of  the 
fall  is  to  be  removed  by  redemption?  The  scriptural  answer  is: 
All  of  it.  But  how  much  of  it  is  to  be  removed  in  this  life  ?  The 
answer  is  given  in  the  quoted  text :  "Himself  took  our  infirmities 
and  bare  our  sicknesses."  This  we  believe  is  the  scriptural  limit 
to  divine  healing  to  be  possessed  in  this  life.  The  boundary  to 
the  gift  of  miracles  and  faith  may  reach  much  further  into  the 
illimitable,  but  the  life  and  ministry  of  Christ  in  His  dealings  with 
sickness  and  disease  is  certainly  a  correct  demonstration  of  this 
text  quoted  above.  He  manifested  His  power  over  death  by 
raising  a  few  from  the  dead,  and  completely  conquered  mortality 
for  Himself  by  putting  on  immortality,  but  this  is  not  to  be  obtained 
by  His  saints  until  the  time  comes,  which  is  yet  in  the  future,  when 
the  last  enemy  (death)  shall  be  destroyed,  and  all,  both  the  sleeping 
and  living  saints,  shall  put  on  immortality,  at  His  second  coming. 
1  Cor.  15  :20-2().  Physical  death  is  therefore  a  part  of  the  effects 
of  the  fall  that  shall  not  be  removed  on  this  side  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. 

But  now  as  to  sickness,  we  see  that  this  characteristic  of  the 
fall  comes  within  the  redemption  limit  on  this  side  of  the  resur- 
rection. Sickness  is  an  abnormal  condition  of  the  body  the  same 
as  sin  is  an  abnormal  condition  of  the  soul.  Both  have  entered 
through  the  fall,  both  can  be  removed  through  redemption  in  this 
life.  This  truth  is  most  substantially  sustained  in  the  life  and 
ministry  of  Christ  and  the  apostles,  and  the  testimony  of  increasing 
multitudes  of  saints  in  these  last  days. 

God  is  as  able  and  willing  to  heal  as  He  is  to  save.  When 
the  paralytic  was  lying  at  Jesus'  feet  and  the  comforting  words 
of  pardon  were  spoken  to  Him,  Jesus  asked  of  the  people  around 
him,  "  Whether  is  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,  or  to 
say,  Arise  and  walk?"  His  power  to  do  both  was  here  plainly 
shown,  and  speaks  out  to  all  the  world  that  His  power  and  willing- 
ness as  Savior  and  as  Healer  are  equal,  and  all  may  come  to  Him 
and  partake  of  these  blessings. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  201 


THE    DIVINE    LAW    OF    REDEMPTION.    . 

It  has  been  said  that  Jesus  healed  arbitrarily.  This  is  a  serious 
mistake.  There  was  nothing-  arbitrary  about  His  work  on  earth. 
He  came  to  redeem  the  fallen  race  from  the  power  of  oppression. 
This  was  according  to  divine  law — "the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life." 
He  was  the  Life,  the  Truth,  and  the  Way.  All  who  found  Him 
found  satisfaction  from  every  bondage.  This  was  in  fulfillment  of 
prophecy.  It  was  in  the  mind  of  God  from  the  beginning,  and 
every  word  and  act  of  Jesus  was  according  to  this  plan.  "That  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet  saying, 
Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses."  Jesus 
Himself  bears  testimony  of  this  glorious  fact  of  deliverance  in 
Luke  4:21.  Let  no  one  therefore  ever  dispute  what  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  himself  hath  spoken. 

We  are  too  much  inclined  to  doubt  these  blessed  truths  by  look- 
ing around  us  to  find  some  one  who  has  seemingly  failed  to 
appropriate  them.  "Some  have  sought  for  healing  and  have  no*, 
found  it,  therefore  it  is  not  for  all."  Now,  such  an  argument 
might  as  consistently  be  brought  against  the  doctrine  of  salvation, 
for  many  have  sought  for  it  and  seemingly  have  not  found  it. 
Unless  the  conditions  are  fully  met  for  any  gospel  blessing,  we 
need  not  expect  to  receive  it.  Many  fail  to  meet  these  conditions 
through  lack  of  understanding  or  constant  application  until  the 
proper  understanding  has  been  given,  while  others  may  be  un- 
willing to  pay  the  price  of  a  perfect  consecration,  and  for  various 
other  reasons  many  may  come  short  of  the  promises.  This  by  no 
means  weakens  the  doctrine  of  healing.  We  must  not  get  our  eyes 
upon  the  discouraging  objects  about  us,  as  Peter  did  upon  the 
boisterous  winds,  and  began  to  sink.  It  is  only  Christ  who  can  de- 
liver us.  His  word  is  the  only  ground  upon  which  we  can  stand. 
Upon  this  we  may  rest  secure,  and  through  it  His  blessings  will 
flow  into  our  souls  and  bodies. 

Every  child  of  God  should  be  diligent  in  seeking  out  and 
claiming  his  inheritance.  Let  us  not  be  slack  to  go  over  and 
possess  the  land.  There  are  great  walls  to  be  thrown  down  and 
fenced  cities  to  be  taken,  and  great  giants  to  be  destroyed,  but 
our  God  will  "thrust  out"  the  enemy  from  before  us  and  give  us 
full  possession  of  the  land.  The  inhabitants  are  too  strong  for  us. 
but  not  for  our  God.    He  is  the  Lord  our  Healer.    Dear  sufferer. 


202  DIVINE     HEALING. 

take  courage.  Be  strong,  fear  not,  strengthen  thine  heart.  The 
land  of  salvation  and  healing  is  yours.  Go  in  and  possess  it  in 
Jesus'  name.  All  your  diseases  will  flee  before  you  as  you  put 
Jesus  up  against  them.    Behold  thy  Healer. 


CASTING  OUT  DEVILS. 

This  work  of  our  Savior  in  His  ministry  on  earth  is  scripturally 
classified  with  divine  healing.  It  is  spoken  of  as  such  in  Luke 
8  :2,  6  :18 ;  and  8  :36.  This  subject  has  reference  to  actual  devil- 
possession.  This  class  of  affliction  was  common  in  the  days  of 
Christ.  Satan  could  not  keep  himself  hid  in  those  days.  All  his 
hidden  works  of  darkness  were  exposed  and  made  manifest. 
Devils  were  cast  out  wherever  such  cases  were  met. 

The  thought  has  doubtless  occurred  to  every  Bible  reader,  as  a 
wonder  why  there  were  so  many  cases  of  devil-possession  in  those 
days,  and  none  in  our  modern  times.  Some  think  the  Devil  has 
not  so  much  power  now  as  he  had  then.  Others  foolishly  think 
he  has  lost  all  his  power,  and  others  still  more  foolishly  think 
there  is  no  Devil  at  all.  The  stubborn  fact  is,  he  is  the  same  Devil 
today  as  he  ever  has  been,  without  the  least  change  or  improvement 
in  his  character.  He  has  many  times  reversed  his  tactics,  and 
changed  his  colors,  but  this  has  been  only  to  more  thoroughly  con- 
ceal himself  and  his  works,  and  deceive  the  world.  He  has  new 
forms  of  affliction  and  diseases  which  he  imposes  upon  humanity, 
but  there  is  one  unfailing  remedy  for  them  all — Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth.  Satan  was  met  and  conquered  on  every  point,  on  the 
plane  of  Christ's  humanity,  but  he  yet  has  power  in  the  world  over 
all  who  yield  to  him,  and  choose  to  remain  in  his  service  and 
under  his  dominion.  Christ  only  can  deliver  from  his  grasp.  He 
not  only  conquered  Satan  for  himself,  but  for  every  one  on  earth 
who  will  come  to  Him.  The  apostle  speaks  with  words  of  comfort 
in  Col.  1 :13,  of  God,  "Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of 
darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  His  dear 
Son." 

Satan  has  many  evil  spirits  at  his  command  to  carry  on  his 
destructive  work  in  the  realm  of  humanity.  Because  he  has  in 
many  respects  transformed  himself  to  be  the  better  adapted  to 
the  times,  does  not  change  the  fact  that  there  are  many  cases  of 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  203 

devil-possession  in  the  world  today,  of  the  same  character  as  those 
in  Bible  times.     Many  cases  of  insanity  are  of  this  class. 

Devil-possession  is  a  term  applied  to  cases  where  individuals 
are  overpowered  or  controlled,  soul  and  body,  by  evil  spirits,  mani- 
festing at  times,  if  not  continually,  the  very  incarnation  of  Satan, 
which  may  frequently  assume  a  religious  and  devotional  aspect.  It 
is  hardly  possible  to  determine  the  extent  to  which  this  form  of 
devil-power  may  be  manifested  in  different  cases.  There  are 
varied  cases  mentioned  in  scripture  which  are  suggestive  of  these 
manifestations.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  apostasy  these  mys- 
terious operations  have  not  been  so  clearly  discerned,  until  within 
the  last  few  centuries.  As  the  pure  gospel  has  been  preached  and 
souls  have  reached  a  Bible  experience  in  sanctification  and  healing 
through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  works  of  the  Devil 
in  all  his  subtile  forms  are  made  manifest. 

There  are  many  cases  of  devil-possession  where  the  individual 
is  utterly  helpless,  and  unable  to  exercise  faith  for  deliverance. 
In  such  instances  the  power  of  intercessory  faith  is  necessary. 
Some  remarkable  cases  of  this  class  have  come  under  our  observ- 
ation. 

Through  faith  in  the  living  Christ  and  the  power  of  His  word, 
there  have  been  blessed  deliverances  wrought,  which  adds  more 
and  more  to  the  unanswerable  testimony  that  the  plan  of  salvation 
Some  remarkable  cases  of  this  class  have  come  under  our  obser- 
vation. 


DIVINE    HEALING    IN    THE    LIFE    AND 
MINISTRY   OF   CHRIST. 

"God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners,  spake  in 
time  past  to  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days 
spoken  unto  us  by  His  Son." — Heb.  1 :1,  2. 

In  the  beginning,  God  gave  man  a  law.  That  law  was  the 
divine  will.  It  was  very  easy  to  understand.  Obedience  to  it 
meant  all  the  blessings  of  Eden,  with  a  life  of  sweet  communion 
and  harmony  with  God.  Disobedience  meant  banishment  and 
death.  Adam  did  not  fall  because  he  did  not  know  the  will  and 
law  of  God,  but  because  he  disbelieved  and  disobeyed  it.  The  fall 
came.  Death  followed.  The  law  of  sin  and  death  was  enacted 
by  the  Devil,  and  its  power  has  ever  since,  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent,  affected  the  human  race.    But  as  time  passed  and  the  sons 


204  DIVINE     HEALING. 

of  Adam  began  to  multiply,  God  did  not  leave  them  without  an 
expression  of  His  law  and  will.  He  spoke  in  divers  manners 
through  holy  men,  the  prophets,  who  voiced  forth  His  will.  They 
were  His  mouthpiece,  who  shunned  not  to  declare  all  the  counsels 
of  God  in  the  face  of  sinful  men.  Their  words  could  not  be  ignored 
without  the  sad  results  of  divine  wrath.  That  spoken  word  was 
inexorable. 

"Believe  in  the  Lord  your  God,  so  shall  ye  be  established,"  says 
the  Word.  "Believe  His  prophets,  so  shall  ye  prosper."  But  all 
that  was  spoken  by  the  prophets,  was  the  foreshadowing  of  a 
time  to  come.  It  was  life  for  the  time  then  present,  but  a  more 
perfect  law  was  to  be  given.  Moses  said :  "A  prophet  shall  the 
Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me ; 
him  shall  ye  hear  in  all  things  whatsoever  he  shall  say  unto  you, 
and  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  every  soul  that  shall  not  hear  the 
prophet  shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the  people.  Yea,  and  all 
the  prophets  from  Samuel,  and  those  that  follow  after,  as  many  as 
have  spoken,  have  likewise  foretold  of  these  days." — Acts  3  :22-24. 
What  days?  Let  us  see.  "The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until 
John :  since  that  time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every 
man  presseth  into  it." — Luke  16  :16. 

John  was  more  than  a  prophet,  and  yet  when  interrogated  by 
the  priests  and  Levites  he  said  he  was  not  "that  prophet."  He 
was  only  preparing  the  way  for  the  coming  of  Christ.  When 
John's  mission  was  fulfilled,  Jesus  Christ  began  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  was  "that  prophet."  He  is 
the  cornerstone  in  the  foundation  of  the  prophets  and  apostles. 
He  is  the  voice  of  God  which  sounds  back  through  all  the  prophets 
and  forward  through  every  tone  of  inspiration  since  the  days 
of  his  earthly  ministry.  He  is  the  voice  of  God  to  the  world. 
Every  word  and  deed  of  His  life  is  a  divine  expression  to  suffer- 
ing humanity,  never  to  be  revoked  in  the  gospel  age.  Oh,  what 
words  of  comfort  He  speaks  to  every  obedient  heart,  and  what 
deeds  of  mercy  He  performs  to  every  one  who  comes  to  Him ! 
See  Him  as  He  goes  forth  in  His  ministry  of  compassion  and 
power.  Compassion,  in  that  He  "went  about  doing  good  and  heal- 
ing all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil" ;  power,  in  that  He  was 
"mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the  people."  He 
was  the  incarnate  word  of  God.  The  many  expressions  of  His 
will  through  the  blessed  Redeemer  should  most  certainly  en- 
courage every  suffering  mortal  to  come  to  God  through  Him  and 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  205 

be  healed  of  every  infirmity  of  soul,  spirit  and  body.  He  took  them 
all  upon  Himself,  and  forever  disposed  of  them  by  nailing  them 
to  the  cross.  Not  a  cry  nor  prayer  was  turned  away.  Multitudes 
came  to  Him  for  deliverance,  and  he  healed  them  all.  What  more 
could  He  do  than  this  to  establish  the  nature  of  His  mission  on 
earth  ?  Each  case  of  healing  is  the  voice  of  God  to  us.  It  is  His 
spoken  word. 

As  we  read  of  these  individual  cases  of  His  marvelous  work, 
we  find  in  each  of  them  a  practical  lesson.  Let  us  ever  remember 
that  what  was  expressed  through  Jesus  in  each  of  these  instances 
was  just  the  same  as  though  He  spoke  directly  to  us  today.  No 
one  can  consistently  and  scripturally  deny  this.  It  is  a  shame  that 
professing  Christianity  has  ever  admitted  the  falsehood  that  divine 
healing  was  only  intended  for  primitive  days.  It  is  simply  because 
of  the  low  standard  of  spirituality  held  up  by  an  hireling  ministry, 
who  are  afraid  to  speak  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  Jesus  is  the 
same  today,  just  as  much  our  Healer  as  our  Savior  from  sin. 
The  same  voice  of  God  that  spoke  in  the  beginning  of  this  gospel 
dispensation  speaks  to  us  now.  Praise  God !  The  experiences  of 
thousands  of  living  witnesses  establish  this  fact,  and  prove  the 
power  of  this  living  word  of  God  to  all  who  believe. 

It  is  with  heavenly  delight  that  we  open  the  precious  Book 
and  read  the  expressions  of  our  heavenly  Father  to  us  through 
these  words  and  deeds  of  His  Son.  Come,  suffering  brother  and 
sister,  let  us  sit  at  His  feet  and  listen  to  those  wonderful  words  of 
life.  Let  us  not  imagine  a  great  chasm  of  nineteen  centuries  be- 
tween us.  That  is  not  true.  He  is  with  us  today  in  mighty 
living  power.  By  faith  we  can  hear  His  voice  in  tender  words  of 
compassion.  We  see  to  our  blessed  satisfaction  that  He  is  able 
and  willing  to  heal  us.  We  see  by  the  different  recorded  cases  of 
His  healing,  how  to  come  to  Him.  This  opens  the  way,  and  we 
therefore  come  boldly  to  Him  and  receive  His  blessings  upon  us. 


HIS  POWER  TO  HEAL. 

Let  us  notice  the  power  of  this  compassionate  Redeemer  to 
heal.  There  was  not  one  case  of  deformity  nor  disease  that  could 
baffle  his  skill.  The  record  of  individual  cases  brings  before  us 
this  truth.  The  deaf  and  dumb,  the  deformed,  the  leprous,  the 
palsied,  those  stricken  with  fevers,  with  dropsy,  an  issue  of  blood. 


206  DIVINE     HEALING. 

the  blind,  a  withered  hand — unnumbered  and  unmentioned,  and 
all  diseases  were  equally  dispelled  by  the  power  of  His  word. 
Infirmities  of  twelve,  eighteen,  and  thirty-eight  years,  were  equally 
unable  to  exist  in  the  power  of  his  presence.  Everywhere  they 
vanished  and  fled  like  mists  before  the  blazing  sun  of  a  summer 
morning,  and  indeed  they  were  mists  of  the  power  of  darkness,  sin, 
and  death,  but  the  piercing  beams  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness 
broke  this  power,  and  imparted  life  and  liberty  to  all  who  were 
bound.  The  power  of  sin  and  death  held  the  world  in  its  icy 
bondage.  The  chilling  blasts  of  destruction  had  been  blowing 
upon  mankind  for  thousands  of  years.  The  streams  of  life  had 
ceased  their  flowing  and  were  frozen  to  the  depths.  Mountains  of 
arctic  snows  had  buried  every  hope  of  life,  but  the  Sun  of 
righteousness  arose  with  healing  in  His  wings.  The  chains  of 
bondage  are  broken.  The  life  streams  are  flowing,  bringing 
blessings  and  comfort  to  the  spiritual,  moral,  and  physical  nature 
of  man,  so  that  under  these  healing  wings  his  entire  being  is 
filled  with  heavenly  music  and  harmony  of  life. 

Praise  God !  nothing  has  been  able  to  stand  before  the  Savior. 
He  was  sent  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil,  and  He  accom- 
plished His  end.  Why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  It  is  impossible  for  the 
eternal  God  to  fail,  or  His  word  to  be  broken.  Oh,  let  us  never 
doubt  His  power.  The  whole  universe  bows  in  humble  recog- 
nition to  it.  The  devils  believe  and  tremble,  and  why  should 
foolish  man  for  a  moment  let  the  deceptions  of  Satan  enter  his 
mind  and  heart?  He  who  created  the  worlds  and  all  that  is  in 
them,  has  also  the  power  to  speak  away  every  disease. 


HIS   WILL   TO   HEAL. 

Many  a  suflferer  today  is  kept  in  bondage  through  a  lack  of 
faith  in  God's  will  to  heal.  A  common  expression  is  this :  "I  do 
not  doubt  His  power,  but  I  am  not  sure  about  His  will  to  heal  me, 
and  I  always  want  to  pray,  Thy  will  be  done.'  "  Let  us  keep  our 
eyes  upon  Him  as  we  see  Him  going  about  in  His  ministry.  We 
will  not  forget  that  He  is  the  voice  of  God  to  us.  There  is  the 
instance  of  the  leper  who  came  to  Him,  saying,  "If  thou  wilt,  thou 
canst  make  me  clean."  He  was  not  sure  as  to  the  will  of  Jesus, 
but  how  quickly  that  was  settled.  "I  will,"  said  the  Master,  and 
immediately  his  leprosy  was  gone.    How  encouraging  this  is  to  us  ! 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  207 

What  He  said  to  the  leper  He  is  saying  to  us.  This  is  His  will. 
His  whole  will  of  redemption  is  the  very  will  of  God  to 
us.  Every  deed  of  His  life  is  but  that  spoken  will.  He  did 
it  perfectly.  He  finished  the  work  the  Father  gave  Him  to 
do.  It  is  useless  as  well  as  dangerous  to  seek  the  will  of  God 
outside  of  what  was  thus  spoken  through  Christ.  He  of  Himself 
could  do  nothing.  It  was  the  Father  who  wrought  the  deeds  of 
mercy  through  Him,  all  in  accordance  with  His  own  plan.  The 
blind  men  crying  with  loud  voice,  "Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  us" ;  the  centurion  asking  for  the  healing  of  his  palsied  servant ; 
the  nobleman  pleading  for  his  sick  and  fevered  child ;  the  woman 
pleading  for  her  helpless  demoniac  daughter ;  the  father  for  his 
son  in  similar  affliction ;  the  woman  weak  and  faint  with  an  issue 
of  blood  ;  the  man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda ;  the  man  born  blind,  and 
all  the  sick  and  infirm  who  were  brought  in  great  multitudes  on 
beds  and  couches,  who  besought  Him  that  they  might  but  touch 
the  hem  of  His  garment — all  received  the  manifestations  of  the 
will  of  God  towards  them  and  us.  Even  the  vilest  of  repentant 
sinners  were  mercifully  dealt  with. 

To  one  who  was  guilty  of  death  because  of  her  criminal  life, 
He  said,  "Go,  and  sin  no  more."  Every  cry  of  humanity  from 
obedient  hearts  was  quickly  heard,  and  that  hand  of  compassion 
and  power  was  stretched  forth  in  blessed  deliverance,  or  the  word 
only  was  spoken  and  the  work  was  done.  Had  you  and  I  been 
there,  dear  brother,  our  needs  would  have  been  met  as  much  as  all 
others.  Truly  they  are  just  as  fully  met  in  that  spoken  word  today 
for  time  has  not  changed  it.  Therefore,  we  must  not  doubt  His 
will  to  heal  us.  How  can  we  ?  If  we  let  His  word  decide  it,  there 
can  be  no  room  to  doubt.  Let  us  not  permit  human  reasoning,  nor 
any  of  the  traditions  of  men  to  come  between  us  and  the  definite 
expression  of  God's  own  word.  Believe  Him,  dear  sufferer,  and 
receive  the  benefits  of  His  boundless  provisions  for  full  salvation 
and  health.  To  doubt  His  will  in  this  matter  is  but  to  rob  you 
of  your  inheritance  in  Jesus.  Great  grace  is  our  portion,  but  it 
can  only  be  obtained  through  faith. 

It  is  right  to  pray,  "Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven."  God  grant  that  this  may  be  answered  in  every  heart  and 
life  of  His  people.  Surely  then  every  disease  must  be  healed ;  for 
there  is  no  such  dreadful  thing  in  heaven.  There,  nothing  can 
enter  but  righteousness  and  purity.  Sin  and  sickness,  pain  and 
sorrow  cannot  exist  there.    God  reigns  supreme.    So  it  must  be  in 


208  DIV  I  x\  t]     H  E  A  L  1  \  (J  . 

US  here  on  earth,  if  we  want  this  prayer  to  be  answered.  There- 
fore let  lis  ever  beHeve  that  it  is  God's  will  to  forgive  all  our 
iniquities,  and  to  heal  all  our  diseases ;  and  by  faith  enjoy  all  the 
blessings  of  "Thy  will  be  done." 


HOW  TO  COME  TO  HIM  FOR  HEALING. 

We  not  only  have  the  instructions  of  His  power  and  will 
expressed  through  the  many  instances  of  healing  in  His  ministry, 
but  we  can  see  very  clearly  how  to  come  to  Him  and  be  made 
whole.  Believing  all  that  He  has  said  in  His  word  and  deed  con- 
cerning His  part,  we  can  take  the  example  of  those  who  came  to 
Him,  and  do  likewise.  How  then  must  we  come  ?  Answer :  By 
faith.  Out  of  nineteen  of  the  most  prominent  individual  cases 
of  healing  mentioned  in  the  ministry  of  Christ,  and  the  apostles, 
there  are  twelve  of  these  where  their  faith  is  spoken  of.  The 
rest  are  mentioned  sufficiently  plain  to  show  us  that  faith  brought 
the  healing  in  every  case.  In  His  own  town  where  He  had  been 
brought  up  Jesus  could  heal  but  few,  because  of  their  unbelief. 
"Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  Him ;  for  he  that  cometh 
to  God  must  believe  that  He  is,  and  that  He  is  a  rewarder  of  them 
that  diligently  seek  Him.'' — Heb.  11  :(>.  This  can  also  be  seen  in 
the  examples  of  the  healing  of  the  multitudes.  They  came  to  him 
from  all  quarters  and  besought  Him  that  they  might  only  touch  the 
hem  of  Tlis  garment,  and  as  many  as  touched  were  made  perfectly 
whole.  Others  came  to  Him  having  with  them  those  that  were 
lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,  and  cast  them 
down  at  Jesus'  feet ;  and  He  healed  them.  All  these  statements 
teach  us  that  these  people  had  great  faith  in  Jesus,  and  they  came 
to  Him  expecting  to  receive  healing.  They  diligently  sought  for 
it,  and  God  did  not  disappoint  them. 

Obedience,  earnestness,  and  confidence  are  the  necessary  fruits 
of  faith.  These  are  all  very  prominent  in  these  different  cases, 
No  one  came  to  Him  to  be  healed  without  an  obedient  heart.  In 
many  of  these  instances  this  is  very  plain :  "Go  thy  way,  thy  son 
liveth,"  said  Jesus  to  the  nobleman.  "The  man  believed  the  word 
and  went  his  way."  "Stretch  forth  thy  hand,"  was  the  command 
to  the  man  whose  hand  hung  palsied  by  his  side.  He  obeyed.  "Go 
wash  in  the  pool."  The  obedient  blind  man  came  seeing.  "Take 
up  thy  bed  and  walk."    The  paralytic  went  forth  healed.     These 


MIND    AN  D    FAITH    CURE.  209 

and  many  more  instances  teach  us  how  to  obey  the  word  of  God, 
without  which  there  can  be  no  hope  of  heaUh.  Then  we  see  how 
earnestly  these  sufferers  came  to  him.  Bhnd  Bartimaeus  cried 
aloud  for  mercy.  When  some  of  the  people  charged  him  to  hold 
his  peace,  "he  cried  the  more  a  great  deal."  The  Syrophenician 
woman  was  so  earnest  that  she  could  not  be  stood  back  by  anything 
that  was  said  to  her.  Her  importunity  was  rewarded.  The  woman 
who  had  an  issue  of  blood  showed  her  dead  earnestness  in  press- 
ing through  the  throng  of  strong  men,  weak  and  fainting  as  she 
was,  that  she  might  but  touch  the  border  of  Jesus'  garment. 
Unless  we  are  earnest  enough  to  face  every  difficulty  and  never 
give  up,  the  enemy  will  take  advantage  of  us  and  in  some  way  rob 
us  of  the  blessings  provided.  See  also  with  what  confidence  these 
afflicted  ones  come  to  the  Master.  The  woman  said,  'Tf  I  may 
but  touch  Him,  I  shall  be  whole."  ''Speak  the  word  only,"  said 
the  centurion,  ''and  my  servant  shall  be  healed."  What  marvelous 
confidence!  And  so,  dear  reader,  we  have  abundant  evidence  in 
the  glorious  work  of  Christ  to  encourage  us  to  come  to  him  with 
all  our  ills,  and  find  that  He  is  able,  willing  and  ready  to  heal  all 
who  come  to  Him  in  faith. 

"All  that  Jesus  began  to  do  and  teach,"  as  he  appeared  on  the 
plane  of  humanity,  and  continued  "until  the  day  in  which  He  was 
taken  up,"  gives  the  revelation  of  the  will  of  God,  that  He  met 
and  conquered  the  enemy  at  every  point,  both  in  His  life  work  and 
in  His  death.  This  was  His  redemption  work.  He  came  to  work 
the  works  of  God.  If  we  but  follow  Him  and  behold  the  works 
that  He  did  and  the  words  that  He  spoke,  we  shall  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  seeing  what  were  the  works  of  God,  and  what  were  tho 
works  of  the  Devil.  It  is  just  as  true  that  Jesus  came  to  put  away 
sickness,  as  sin,  because  both  are  the  works  of  the  Devil.  ''For  this 
purpose,  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested,  that  He  might  destroy 
the  works  of  the  Devil." — 1  Jno.  3  :8.  Let  us  follow  this  dear 
Savior  and  Redeemer  as  He  goes  from  city  to  city  and  meets  the 
suffering  ones  as  they  come  to  him.  Let  us  notice  some  of  the  in- 
dividual cases.  We  have  made  mention  of  some  of  them  already, 
but  now  we  want  to  consider  them  more  carefully  with  respect  to 
their  application  to  us. 


210  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE  MAN  OF  GADARA. 

(LUKE  8:26-33.') 

''And  they  arrived  at  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  which  is 
over  against  GaHlee. 

"And  v^hen  He  went  forth  to  land,  there  met  him  out  of  the 
city  a  certain  man,  which  had  devils  a  long  time,  and  ware  no 
clothes,  neither  abode  in  any  house,  but  in  the  tombs. 

''When  he  saw  Jesus,  he  cried  out,  and  fell  down  before  Him, 
and  with  a  loud  voice  said.  What  have  I  to  do  with  Thee,  Jesus  tho2i 
Son  of  God  most  high?     I  beseech  Thee  torment  me  not. 

"(For  He  had  commanded  the  unclean  spirit  to  come  out  of 
the  man.  For  oftentimes  it  had  caught  him :  and  he  was  kept 
bound  with  chains,  and  in  fetters;  and  he  brake  the  bands,  and 
was  driven  of  the  devil  into  the  wilderness.) 

"And  Jesus  asked  him,  saying.  What  is  thy  name?  And  he 
said.  Legion :  because  many  devils  were  entered  into  him. 

"And  they  besought  Him,  that  He  would  not  command  them  to 
go  out  into  the  deep. 

"And  there  was  there  a  herd  of  many  swine  feeding  on  the 
mountain :  and  they  besought  Him  that  He  would  suffer  them  to 
enter  into  them.    And  He  suffered  them. 

"Then  went  the  devils  out  of  the  man,  and  entered  into  the 
swine :  and  the  herd  ran  violently  down  a  steep  place  into  the 
lake  and  were  choked." 

This  afflicted  man  was  possessed  with  many  devils.  He 
frequently  manifested  supernatural  strength  in  breaking  the 
fetters  and  chains  with  which  he  had  been  bound.  Had  this  been 
in  modern  times,  it  would  have  been  pronounced  a  case  of  violent 
insanity.  He  could  not  be  kept  clothed,  nor  in  a  house,  and  often 
was  exceeding  iierce,  crying  and  cutting  himself  with  stones.  He 
was  driven  by  the  spirits  into  the  desolate  places  in  the  mountains 
and  among  the  tombs  to  dwell. 

As  Jesus  landed  in  that  country  this  demoniac  met  Him.  He 
seemed  disposed  to  worship  Jesus,  but  the  devils  had  control  of  his 
mind  and  voice,  and  began  at  once  to  plead  for  mercy  that  Jesus 
would  not  torment  them.  They  knew  they  were  powerless  in  His 
presence.  They  had  for  a  long  time  tormented  this  poor  man  in 
this  unmerciful  manner ;  now  they  plead  for  mercy  for  themselves. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE.  211 

Luke  8:31  reads:  "  They  besought  Him  (Jesus)  that  He  would 
not  command  them  to  go  out  into  the  deep."  This  word  deep  is 
from  the  Greek  abussos,  and  signifies  very  deep  place.  A  number 
of  translators  have  rendered  it  abyss.  It  is  the  same  in  the 
original  text  that  is  translated  "bottomless  pit"  in  Rev.  9  :1 ;  20 :3. 
Therefore  it  is  no  surprise  that  these  demons  should  entreat  Jesus 
that  He  would  not  send  them  into  this  place  of  banishment.  Their 
time  for  this  had  not  yet  come.  They  knew  very  well  that  they 
could  no  longer  torment  this  poor  man ;  for  Jesus  had  come  on  His 
mission  of  mercy  to  deliver  humanity  from  the  power  of  devils, 
whether  possession,  oppression,  or  depression. 

By  their  request  they  were  permitted  to  enter  a  large  herd  of 
swine  near  by,  but  this  was  no  benefit  to  them ;  for  they  no  sooner 
had  entered  them  than  the  swine  ran  violently  down  into  the  sea. 
But,  thank  God,  this  poor  captive  was  set  free;  and  when  the 
people  found  him  he  was  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and 
in  his  right  mind.  Now  he  desires  to  go  with  Jesus,  who  had  done 
so  much  for  him ;  but  Jesus  said  to  him,  "Go  home  to  thy  friends 
and  tell  them  what  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee." 

This  lesson  teaches  us  the  utter  helplessness  of  humanity  to 
resist  and  overcome  the  power  of  the  Devil,  but  it  also  proves  the 
words  of  Jesus  concerning  Himself :  "All  power  is  given  unto  Me 
in  heaven  and  in  earth."  In  Him  we  need  not  fear.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  harm  us.  By  faith  in  Him  through  obedience  to 
His  word,  we  have  power  over  the  Devil  in  every  respect.  He 
gave  this  to  His  disciples  as  He  sent  them  out  to  preach  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  gave  them  power  over  all  the  power 
of  the  enemy.  Luke  10  :19 :  "And  they  went  out,  and  preached 
that  men  should  repent.  And  they  cast  out  many  devils,  and 
anointed  with  oil  many  that  were  sick,  and  healed  them." — Mark 
6  :12,  13.  "In  My  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils." — Mark  16  :17. 
"There  came  also  a  multitude  out  of  the  cities  round  about  unto 
Jerusalem,  bringing  sick  folks,  and  them  which  were  vexed  with 
unclean  spirits ;  and  they  were  healed  every  one." — Acts  5  :16. 
"And  God  wrought  special  miracles  by  the  hands  of  Paul,  so  that 
from  his  body  were  brought  unto  the  sick,  handkerchiefs  or  aprons, 
and  the  diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the  evil  spirits  went  out 
of  them." — Acts  19  :11,  12.  "For  unclean  spirits,  crying  with  loud 
voice,  came  out  of  many  that  were  possessed  with  them." — Acts 
8  :7.  The  kingdom  of  the  Devil  consists  of  sin,  disease,  and  every 
form  of  devil-possession  and  devil-power. 


212  DIVINE     HEALING . 

The  kingdom  of  God  consists  of  righteousness,  joy,  and  peace 
in  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  it  was  in  apostoHc  times,  so  it  is  now,  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  expels  the  Devil  and  all  his  evil  spirits,  and  breaks 
his  power  over  the  souls  and  bodies  of  humanity,  for  all  who  will 
repent  and  believe. 


CHRIST  CLEANSETH  THE  LEPER. 

(matt.  8:1-3.) 

"When  He  was  come  down  from  the  mountain,  great  multi- 
tudes followed  Him. 

''And  behold,  there  came  a  leper  and  worshiped  Him,  saying. 
Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean. 

"And  Jesus  put  forth  His  hand,  and  touched  him,  saying,  1 
will ;  be  thou  clean.    And  immediately  his  leprosy  was  cleansed." 

This  blessed  miracle  took  place  just  as  Jesus  had  come  down 
from  the  mountain  where  He  preached  those  wonderful  words  of 
life.  The  leper  came  and  zvorshiped  Him.  This  is  the  only  proper 
attitude  for  any  seeker.  This  is  the  only  condition  of  the  heart 
where  faith  can  lay  hold  upon  God.  He  seeks  to  be  worshiped. 
Oh,  that  every  seeker  for  healing,  today,  were  willing  to  fall  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus  and  honor  Him  as  the  Christ  of  God  in  true 
humble  worship.  Divine  honor  and  reverence  is  the  signification 
of  this  term.  It  recognizes  God  as  the  only  object  of  affection  and 
love.  Nothing  else  can  be  retained  in  the  heart.  God  demands  un- 
divided supremacy.  So  many  want  Christ  and  everything  else, 
but  the  demand  of  God  is  Christ  only.  With  Him  the  Father 
freely  gives  us  all  things  pertaining  to  life  and  godliness,  but  we 
can  have  nothing  until  we  take  Him  first.  This  principle  is  divine. 
It  applies  to  every  blessing  in  the  atonement.  No  sinner  can 
obtain  pardon,  no  believer  can  obtain  the  Holy  Spirit  or  healing 
until  Christ  only  is  honored. 

How  inconsistently  many  come  to  Him  for  healing.  They 
want  Christ  and  medicines.  This  is  not  rendering  due  honor  to 
Christ.  A  Christian  may,  perhaps,  under  certain  circumstances 
take  medicines,  but  in  so  doing  he  does  not  worship  Christ  the 
Healer.  As  light  upon  this  divine  truth  continues  to  shine,  the 
time  will  come  in  each  individual  case  where  it  would  be  a  dis- 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  213 

honor  to  Christ  for  a  child  of  God  to  take  medicine.  Let  us 
worship  Him,  who  "Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our 
sicknesses."  Himself,  not  Himself  and  medicines,  not  Himself 
and  doctors,  but  Himself.  We  worship  Him  our  Savior,  why  not 
worship  Him  our  Healer,  and  bow  to  no  other  shrine  for  healing  ? 
He  seeks  such  to  worship  Him.  Should  we  bow  to  the  gods  of 
superstition  and  medical  science  ?  This  would  have  been  an  insult 
to  the  God  of  Israel  in  the  Old  Testament  times.  Can  it  be  any 
the  less  in  this  dispensation  ? 

It  is  true  the  heathen  rage  and  the  people  imagine  vain  things, 
The  kings  of  earth  stand  up  and  the  rulers  gather  together  against 
a  child  of  God  who  worships  Christ  only  as  the  Physician.  They 
have  set  up  a  golden  image  of  medical  superstition ;  the  decree  has 
gone  forth  throughout  the  land  that  every  man,  woman  and  child 
must  bow  down  to  this  image.  God  has  His  people  here  who  bow 
only  to  Him  and  His  Christ.  Shall  we  be  loyal  to  Him  despite 
the  threats  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace  ?  Can  we  say  like  the  three 
Hebrews,  we  will  not  worship  this  image,  even  though  our  Christ 
whom  we  worship  only,  should  not  deliver  us  from  the  burning 
fiery  furnace  ?  Dear  reader,  this  is  the  true  principle  of  worship, 
which  no  doubt  will  in  the  experience  of  every  child  of  God  bring 
us  into  the  fiery  furnace  of  persecution  and  trial. 

Our  physical  life  must  be  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  Christ  our 
Healer,  but  the  precious  words,  ''He  that  loseth  his  life  for  My 
sake,  shall  find  it,"  are  just  as  true  in  this  respect  as  in  any 
other.  "Our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us,  and  He  will 
deliver,  but  if  not,  be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not 
serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set 
up."  Christ  seeks  those  who  are  willing  to  face  the  results  of 
eternal  loyalty  to  Himself.  The  fiery  furnace,  the  lion's  den,  the 
stake,  the  rack,  all  should  serve  as  incentives  to  true  worship  at 
the  throne  of  the  Great  Physician.  Thus  we  learn  an  indispensable 
lesson  from  the  loathsome  dying  leper  as  he  came  to  Jesus.  He 
came  and  "worshiped  Him."  We  have  a  decided  advantage  over 
the  leper.    He  said, 

"if  thou  wilt.^"* 

He  had  no  doubt  as  to  His  power,  but  was  not  certain  as  to  His 
will.  We  have  as  much  assurance  of  His  will  as  of  His  power  to 
heal.  Christ's  answer  to  the  leper  settles  the  question  of  His  will 
once  for  all,  to  every  obedient  and  trusting  sufferer.  This  poor  out- 


214  DIVINE     HEALING. 

cast  had  no  human  hope  of  Hfe.  He  was  doomed  to  banishment 
from  society  all  his  earthly  days.  It  was  not  lawful  for  him  to 
come  within  touch  of  any  one.  He  was  considered  unclean  and 
had  to  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth  and  cry  ''unclean"  to  all  who 
came  near  him.  His  disease  was  considered  the  most  loathsome 
of  any  ill  that  humanity  is  subject  to,  How  sad  his  poor  heart 
must  have  been !  Little  by  little  his  life  was  to  ebb  away  until 
death  put  an  end  to  his  wretched  sufferings.  But  one  day  he 
heard  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  who  had  recently  been  passing  through 
Galilee  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  healing 
all  manner  of  diseases  among  the  people.  Some  of  his  friends  tell 
him  this  good  news.  At  once  the  question  arises  in  his  heart, 
''Can  He  heal  leprosy?"  "Oh,  yes,"  his  friends  say.  "This  is  the 
One  of  whom  Moses  and  the  prophets  did  write  and  whom  John 
the  Baptist  told  us  should  come.  He  is  the  Messiah.  He  is  healing 
all  manner  of  diseases. 

A  ray  of  hope  flashes  into  this  despondent  and  sorrowful  heart. 
He  believed  in  the  "coming  One."  He  heard  John  preach,  and 
had  repented  at  the  preaching  of  John  and  was  now  ready  to 
believe  in  Jesus.  All  he  could  do  now  was  to  patiently  wait  for 
the  day  when  this  Jesus  should  come  near  enough  so  he  could 
come  within  sight  of  Him.  Where  is  He,  and  when  will  He  be 
in  our  town  ?  He  is  up  in  the  mountain  preaching  as  never  man 
preached,  and  multitudes  are  sitting  at  His  feet.  He  will  be  down 
soon  and  will  be  this  way  no  doubt.  The  leper's  hopes  were  not 
disappointed.  One  day  he  beholds  in  the  distance  a  large  moving 
crowd  of  people.  He  is  told  that  Jesus  is  coming.  He  springs  to 
his  feet  with  a  new  impulse  of  life,  and  runs  towards  Jesus  almost 
forgetting  that  he  is  not  allowed  to  come  near  any  one ;  he  comes 
near  to  Him  and  casts  himself  down  at  His  feet  and  humbly 
worships  Him,  saying,  "If  Thou  wilt,  Thou  canst  make  me  clean." 
And 

^'^JESUS  PUT  FORTH  HIS  HAND  AND  TOUCHED  HIM.'''' 

What  a  blessed  expression  of  compassion  and  unbounded  con- 
descension this  is.  It  would  seem  to  us  that  nothing  could  more 
beautifully  portray  the  supreme  love  that  overflowed  from  the 
heart  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  not  necessary  to  touch  Him ; 
for  the  power  of  His  word  was  sufficient,  as  we  see  in  other 
cases  of  healing,  but  there  was  this  expression  of  love  that  Jesus 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  215 

saw  proper  to  bestow  upon  this  poor  man.  No  one  else  dared  to  do 
this,  even  his  dearest  friends.  But  the  dear  Savior  touched  him. 
What  a  thrill  of  love  must  have  gone  through  that  poor  discour- 
aged heart  from  the  heart  of  Jesus  as  His  touch  was  given. 
Perhaps  for  years  he  had  not  had  a  human  touch.  Now  there  is 
one,  more  than  human,  a  touch  of  life,  one  that  thrills  not  only  his 
heart  but  his  entire  being.  The  leper  did  not  dare  touch  him. 
Others  could,  but  he  could  not.  Many  besought  that  they  might 
but  touch  His  garment,  and  as  many  as  touched  Him  were  made 
whole,  but  here  we  have  the  healing  life  imparted  by  the  hand  of 
Christ  as  it  was  laid  upon  the  diseased  body  of  the  leper.  He 
knows  the  extent  of  our  helplessness.  Dear  reader,  your 
case  is  nowhere  in  helplessness  in  comparison  with  this 
man's,  but  the  hand  of  healing  reached  him.  It  reached  right 
through  every  difficulty  upon  the  part  of  the  sufferer  and  touched 
him,  and  uttered  words  that  ring  into  the  ears  of  every  disease- 
stricken  mortal  on  earth,  who  will  but  come  as  this  man  did  and 
worship  Him. 

"I  will,  be  thou  clean;  and  immediately  his  leprosy  was 
cleansed."  With  the  suddenness  of  a  lightning  flash  the  fetters 
of  disease  were  snapped  in  sunder  and  the  man  who  had  been 
doomed  to  life  banishment  as  an  outcast,  and  a  miserable  death, 
was  instantly  filled  with  divine  life,  and  sent  to  bear  testimony  to 
the  priests  of  what  God  had  wrought. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  man  had  no  faith  to  be  healed,  that 
Jesus  healed  him  unconditionally,  but  if  we  enter  into  a  careful 
study  of  the  work  of  Jesus  in  His  ministry  we  have  no  difficulty 
in  seeing  the  manifestations  of  faith  upon  the  part  of  all  who  were 
responsible  as  they  came  for  healing.  Indeed  we  see  a  perfect 
faith  here  in  this  respect,  that  he  came  and  worshiped  Jesus 
Whatever  deficiency  there  may  have  been,  he  received  the  healing 
to  the  glory  of  God. 

CHRIST  HEALING  THE  WITHERED  HAND. 
(mark  3  :l-5.) 

''And  He  entered  again  into  the  synagogue;  and  there  was  a 
man  there  which  had  a  withered  hand. 

"And  they  watched  Him,  whether  He  would  heal  him  on  the 
Sabbath  day;  that  they  might  accuse  Him. 


216  DIVINE     HEALING. 

"And  He  saith  unto  the  man  which  had  the  withered  hand, 
Stand  forth. 

"And  He  saith  unto  them,  Is  it  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sab- 
bath days,  or  to  do  evil?  to  save  life,  or  to  kill?  but  they  held 
their  peace. 

"And  when  He  had  looked  round  about  on  them  with  anger, 
being  grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts.  He  saith  unto  the 
man.  Stretch  forth  thine  hand.  And  he  stretched  it  out :  and  his 
hand  was  restored  whole  as  the  other." 

THE  WITHERED   HAND  RESTORED. 

"  And  when  he  was  departed  thence,  he  went  into  their  syna- 
gogue. And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  which  had  his  hand 
withered.  And  they  asked  him,  saying:  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on 
the  Sabbath  days?  that  they  might  accuse  him.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  What  man  shall  there  be  among  you  that  shall  have 
one  sheep,  and  if  it  fall  into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath  day,  will  he  not 
lay  hold  on  it,  and  lift  it  out?  How  much,  then,  is  a  man 
better  than  a  sheep?  Wherefore  it  is  lawful  to  do  well  on 
the  Sabbath  days.  Then  saith  He  to  the  man.  Stretch  forth  thine 
hand.  And  he  stretched  it  forth ;  and  it  was  restored  whole,  like 
as  the  other."— Matt  12  :9-13. 

The  prejudiced  Pharisees  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  find  an 
accusation  against  our  blessed  Lord.  They  were  anxious  to  get 
this  man  with  the  withered  hand  before  him  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
knowing  full  well  that  Jesus  would  not  pass  him  by  without  heal- 
ing him.  Their  depraved  condition  of  heart  held  them  in  sucli 
blindness  as  to  even  think  it  was  a  violation  of  God's  law  to  do 
an  act  of  mercy  to  a  poor  suffering  man  on  the  Sabbath.  Poor, 
deluded  souls,  they  themselves  would  think  it  an  act  of  cruelty  to 
neglect  a  suffering  animal  on  that  day,  but  were  ready  to  accuse 
Jesus  of  a  criminal  act  if  He  healed  any  one.  He  proves  to  them 
that  it  is  lawful  to  do  well  on  the  Sabbath  days. 

"  How  much  then  is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep?"  One  of  the 
prominent  truths  taught  in  the  life  of  Christ  is  the  great  care  He 
always  manifested  for  the  body.  As  a  man  would  spare  no  pains 
to  lift  a  sheep  out  of  a  pit,  or  protect  it  from  the  prowling  wolf, 
or  to  deliver  it  if  possible,  if  it  might  have  been  captured,  so  Jesus 
would,  as  a  man  is  worth  more  than  a  sheep,  set  every  man  free 
from  all  his  pains  and  diseases,  or  where  he  in  any  respect  may  be 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  217. 

oppressed  of  the  Devil.  This  is  certainly  true  with  respect  to  the 
physical  as  well  as  the  spiritual  oppressions,  as  the  multitudes  of 
healed  ones  testify.  Every  need  of  humanity  is  provided  through 
Qirist.  By  faith  all  may  come  and  obtain  a  full  supply.  He  could 
not  let  this  opportunity  for  showing  His  compassion  pass  by.  That 
helpless  hand  hanging  by  the  side  of  this  poor  man  was  no  longer 
to  be  held  under  the  power  of  oppression.  As  the  man  stood  be- 
fore him  Jesus  commanded  him  to  stretch  forth  his  hand.  This 
was  a  command  to  both  obedience  and  faith.  Some  one  has  said 
of  the  majority  of  professing  Christians,  that  they  seem  to  have 
no  hands  to  stretch  out  and  take  hold  on  God. 


HAVE  FAITH    IN   GOD.    (mARK   11:22.) 

If  we  want  blessings  from  God,  nothing  can  fetch  them  down 
but  faith.  Prayer  cannot  draw  down  answers  from  God's 
throne  except  it  be  the  earnest  prayer  of  the  man  who  believes. 
Faith  is  the  angelic  messenger  between  the  soul  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  glory.  Let  that  angel  be  withdrawn,  we  can  neither  send 
up  prayer,  nor  receive  the  answers.  Faith  is  the  telegraphic  wire 
which  links  earth  and  heaven — on  which  God's  messages  of  love 
fly  so  fast,  that  before  we  call  He  answers,  and  while  we  are  yet 
speaking  He  hears  us.  But  if  that  telegraphic  wire  of  faith  be 
snapped,  how  can  we  receive  the  promise?  If  I  am  sick  I  can 
obtain  immediate  help  for  my  trouble  by  faith  in  God's  power  to 
heal  me.  Faith  clothes  me  with  the  power  of  God.  Faith 
engages  on  my  side  the  omnipotence  of  Jehovah.  Faith  insures 
every  attribute  of  God  in  my  defense.  It  helps  rne  defy  tlie  hosts 
of  hell.  It  makes  me  march  triumphant  over  the  necks  of  my 
enemies.  But  without  faith  how  can  I  receive  anything  of  the 
Lord  ?  Let  not  him  that  wavereth — who  is  like  a  wave  of  the 
sea — expect  that  he  will  receive  anything  of  God. 

Faith  is  the  foot  of  the  soul  by  which  it  can  march  along 
the  road  of  the  commandments.  Love  can  make  the  feet  move 
more  swiftly;  but  faith  is  the  foot  which  carries  the  soul.  Faith 
is  the  oil  enabling  the  wheels  of  holy  devotion  and  of  earnest  piety 
to  move  well,  and  without  faith  the  wheels  are  taken  from  the 
chariot,  and  we  drag  heavily.  With  faith  I  can  do  all  things ; 
without  faith  I  shall  neither  have  the  inclination  nor  the  power  to 
do  anything  in  the  service  of  God.  If  you  would  find  the  men 
who  serve  God  the  best,  you  must  look  for  the  men  of  the  most 


218  DIVINE     HEALING. 

faith.  Little  faith  will  save  a  man,  but  little  faith  cannot  do  great 
things  for  God.  Poor  little  faith  could  not  have  fought 
"Apollyon";  it  needed  ''Christian"  to  do  that.  Poor  little 
faith  could  not  have  slain  "Giant  Despair" ;  it  required  "Great- 
heart's"  arm  to  knock  that  monster  down.  Little  faith  will  go  to 
heaven  most  certainly,  but  it  often  has  to  hide  itself  in  a  nut-shell, 
and  it  frequently  loses  all  but  its  jewels.  Little  faith  says,  "It  is 
a  rough  road,  beset  with  sharp  thorns,  and  full  of  dangers ;  I  am 
afraid  to  go" ;  but  great  faith  remembers  the  promise,  "Thy  shoes 
shall  be  iron  and  brass ;  as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be" ;  and 
so  she  boldly  ventures.  Little  faith  stands  desponding,  mingling 
her  tears  with  the  flood ;  but  great  faith  sings,  "When  thou  passest 
through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee;  and  through  the  rivers, 
they  shall  not  overflow  thee" :  and  she  fords  the  stream  at  once. 
Would  you  be  comfortable  and  happy?  Would  you  enjoy 
religion  ?  Would  you  have  the  religion  of  cheerfulness,  and  not  that 
of  gloom?  Then  "have  faith  in  God."  If  you  love  darkness,  and 
are  satisfied  to  dwell  in  gloom  and  misery,  then  be  content  with 
little  faith ;  but  if  you  love  sunshine,  and  would  sing  songs  of  re- 
joicing, covet  earnestly  this  best  gift,  "great  faith." 

Our  heavenly  Father  often  draws  us  with  the  cords  of  love; 
but  ah !  how  backward  we  are  to  run  towards  Him !  How  slowl}' 
we  respond  to  His  gentle  impulses !  He  draws  us  to  exercise  a 
more  simple  faith  in  Him;  but  we  have  not  yet  attained  to 
Abraham's  confidence;  we  do  not  leave  our  worldly  cares  with 
God,  but,  like  Martha,  we  cumber  ourselves  with  much  serving. 
Our  meagre  faith  brings  leanness  into  our  souls ;  we  do  not 
open  our  mouths  wide,  though  God  has  promised  to  fill  them. 
Does  He  not  this  evening  draw  us  to  trust  Him?  Can  we  not 
hear  Him  say,  "Come,  My  child,  and  trust  Me.  The  veil  is  rent ; 
enter  into  My  presence,  and  approach  boldly  to  the  throne  of  My 
grace.  I  am  worthy  of  thy  fullest  confidence ;  cast  thy  cares  on 
Me.  Shake  thyself  from  the  dust  of  thy  cares,  and  put  on  thy 
beautiful  garments  of  joy."  But,  alas !  though  called  with  tones 
of  love  to  the  blessed  exercise  of  this  comforting  grace,  we  will 
not  come.  At  another  time  He  drazvs  us  to  closer  communion 
with  Himself.  We  have  been  sitting  on  the  doorstep  of  God's 
house,  and  He  bids  us  advance  into  the  banqueting  hall  and  sup 
with  Him,  but  we  decline  the  honor.  There  are  secret  rooms 
not  yet  opened  to  us ;  Jesus  invites  us  to  enter  them,  but  we  hold 
back.     Shame  on  our  cold  hearts !    We  are  but  poor  lovers  of  our 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  219 

sweet  Lord  Jesus,  not  fit  to  be  His  servants,  much  less  to  be  His 
brides,  and  yet  He  hath  exalted  us  to  be  bone  of  His  bone,  and 
flesh  of  His  flesh,  married  to  Him  by  a  glorious  marriage- 
covenant.  Herein  is  love !  But  it  is  love  which  takes  no  denial. 
If  we  obey  not  the  gentle  drawings  of  His  love.  He  will  send 
affliction  to  drive  us  into  closer  intimacy  with  Himself.  Have  us 
nearer  He  will.  What  foolish  children  we  are  to  refuse  those 
bands  of  love,  and  so  bring  upon  our  backs  that  scourge  of  small 
cords,  which  Jesus  knows  how  to  use ! 

THE  lord's  prayer,  (luke  11:1-13.) 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  He  was  praying  in  a  certain 
place,  when  He  ceased,  one  of  His  disciples  said  unto  Him,  Lord, 
teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples. 

"After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father  which 
art  in  heaven.  Hallowed  be  Thy  name. 

"Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven. 

"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. 

"And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors. 

"And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil: 
For  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for 
ever.    Amen." 

This  prayer  begins  where  all  true  prayer  must  commence — 
with  the  spirit  of  adoption,  "Our  Father."  There  is  no  acceptable 
prayer  until  we  can  say,  "I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  This 
child-like  spirit  soon  perceives  the  grandeur  of  the  Father  "in 
heaven,"  and  ascends  to  devout  adoration — "Hallowed  be  Thy 
name."  The  child  lisping,  "Abba,  Father,"  grows  into  the  cherub 
crying,  "Holy,  Holy,  Holy."  There  is  but  a  step  from  rapturous 
worship  to  the  glowing  missionary  spirit,  which  is  a  sure  out- 
growth of  filial  love  and  reverent  adoration — "Thy  kingdom 
come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  Next  fol- 
lows the  heartfelt  expression  of  dependence  upon  God — "Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread."  Being  further  illuminated  by  the 
Spirit,  he  discovers  that  he  is  not  only  dependent,  but  sinful; 
hence  he  entreats  for  mercy — "Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive 
our  debtors" :  and  being  pardoned,  having  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  imputed,  and  knowing  his  acceptance  with  God,  he  humbly 
supplicates  for  holy  perseverance — "Lead  us  not  into  temptation." 


220  DIVINE     HEALING. 

The  man  who  is  really  forgiven,  is  anxious  not  to  offend  agaui ; 
the  possession  of  justification  leads  to  an  anxious  desire  for 
sanctification.  'Torgive  us  our  debts";  that  is  justification. 
''Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  "evil"; 
that  is  sanctification  in  its  negative  and  positive  forms. 
As  the  result  of  all  this,  there  follows  a  triumphant  ascription  of 
praise — "Thine  is  the  kingdom,  the  power,  and  the  glory  forever 
and  ever.  Amen."  We  rejoice  that  our  King  reigns  in  providence 
and  shall  reign  in  grace,  from  the  river  even  to  the  ends  of  liit 
earth,  and  of  His  dominion  there  shall  be  no  end.  Thus  from  a 
sense  of  adoption,  up  to  fellowship  with  our  reigning  Lord,  this 
short  model  of  prayer  conducts  the  soul.  Lord,  teach  us  thus  to 
pray. 

Prayer  sometimes  tarrieth  like  a  petitioner  at  the  gate,  until 
the  King  cometh  forth  to  fill  her  bosom  with  the  blessings  which 
she  seeketh. 

Beggars  must  not  be  choosers  either  as  to  time,  place,  or 
form.  But  we  must  be  careful  not  to  take  delays  in  prayer  for 
denials ;  God's  long-dated  bills  will  be  punctually  honored ;  we 
must  not  suffer  Satan  to  shake  our  confidence  in  the  God  of  truth 
by  pointing  to  our  unanswered  prayers.  Unanswered  petitions 
are  not  unheard.  God  keeps  a  file  for  our  prayers — they  are  not 
blown  away  by  the  wind ;  they  are  treasured  in  the  King's 
archives.  There  is  a  registry  in  the  court  of  heaven  wherein 
every  prayer  is  recorded.  Tried  believer,  thy  Lord  hath  a  tear- 
bottle  in  which  the  costly  drops  of  sacred  grief  are  put  away,  and 
a  book  in  which  thy  holy  groanings  are  numbered. 

Prayer  is  the  never-failing  resort  of  the  Christian  in  any  case, 
in  every  plight.  When  you  cannot  use  your  sword  you  may 
take  to  the  weapon  of  all-prayer.  Your  powder  may  be  damp, 
your  bow-string  may  be  relaxed,  but  the  weapon  of  all-prayer 
need  never  be  out  of  order.  Leviathan  laughs  at  the  javelin,  but 
he  trembles  at  prayer.  Sword  and  spear  need  furbishing,  but 
prayer  never  rusts,  and  when  we  think  it  most  blunt  it  cuts  the 
best.  Prayer  is  an  open  door  which  none  can  shut.  Devils  may 
surround  you  on  all  sides,  but  the  way  upward  is  always  open, 
and  as  long  as  that  road  is  unobstructed,  you  will  not  fall  into 
the  enemy's  hand.  We  can  never  be  taken  by  blockade,  escalade, 
mine,  or  storm,  so  long  as  heavenly  succors  can  come  down  to  us 
by  Jacob's  ladder  to  relieve  us  in  the  time  of  our  necessities. 
Prayer  is  never  out  of  season ;  in  summer  and  in  winter  its  mer- 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CUBE.  221 

chandise  is  precious.  Prayer  gains  audience  with  heaven  in  the 
dead  of  night,  in  the  midst  of  business,  in  the  heat  of  noonday, 
in  the  shades  of  evening.  In  every  condition,  whether  of  poverty, 
or  sickness,  or  obscurity,  or  slander,  or  doubt,  your  covenant 
God  will  welcome  your  prayer  and  answer  it  from  His  holy 
place.  Nor  is  prayer  ever  futile.  True  prayer  is  evermore  true 
power.  You  may  not  always  get  what  you  ask,  but  you  shall 
always  have  your  real  wants  supplied.  When  God  does  not 
answer  His  children  according  to  the  letter.  He  does  so  according 
to  the  spirit.  If  thou  askest  for  coarse  meal,  wilt  thou  be  angered 
because  He  gives  thee  the  finest  flour?  If  thou  seekest  bodily 
health,  shouldst  thou  complain  if  instead  thereof  He  makes  thy 
sickness  turn  to  the  healing  of  spiritual  maladies  ?  Is  it  not  better 
to  have  the  cross  sanctified  than  removed? 

Dear  reader,  take  courage — you  that  prayerfully  work  and  toil 
for  Christ  with  success  of  the  very  smallest  kind,  it  shall  not  be 
so  always ;  better  times  are  before  you.  Your  eyes  cannot  see  the 
bHssful  future:  borrow  the  telescope  of  faith;  wipe  the  misty 
breath  of  your  doubts  from  the  glass ;  look  through  it  and  behold 
the  coming  glory.  Reader,  let  us  ask,  do  you  make  this  your 
constant  prayer  ?  Remember  that  the  same  Christ  who  tells  us  to 
say,  '*  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  had  first  given  us  this 
petition,  "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name ;  Thy  kingdom  come ;  Thy  will 
be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven."  Let  not  your  prayers  be  all 
concerning  your  own  sins,  your  own  wants,  your  own  imperfec- 
tions, your  own  trials,  but  let  them  climb  the  starry  ladder,  and 
get  up  to  the  Christ  Himself,  and  then,  as  you  draw  nigh  to  the 
blood-besprinkled  mercy-seat,  offer  this  prayer  continually,  ''Lord, 
extend  the  kingdom  of  Thy  dear  Son."  Such  a  petition,  fer- 
vently presented,  will  elevate  the  spirit  of  all  your  devotions.  Mind 
that  you  prove  the  sincerity  of  your  prayer  by  laboring  to  promote 
the  Lord's  glory. 

DIVINE   HEALING  IN  THE  DEATH    OF   CHRIST. 

Every  Bible  reader  who  has  light  upon  the  plan  of  redemption 
knows  the  divine  remedy  for  sin — "  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.'' 
He  has  appeared  in  the  world  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself.  This  sacrifice  was  made  on  the  cross.  The  language  of 
the  prophet  tells  us  what  this  sacrifice  includes :  ''  Surely  he  hath 
borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows :   .      .      .      .he  was 


222  DIVINE     HE  ALI2^  G. 

wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities : 
the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him  ;  and  with  His  stripes 
we  are  healed." — Isa.  53  :4,  5.  In  Matt.  8  :17  we  have  an  indis- 
putable proof  of  the  fulfillment  of  verse  4  of  this  prophecy — 'That 
it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet,  say- 
ing, Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." 

The  apostle  Peter  writes  of  the  same,  saying,  ''Who  his  own  self 
bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead 
to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness ;  by  Whose  stripes  ye  were 
healed." — 1  Pet.  2  :24.  This  has  reference  to  the  cross,  and  all 
the  redemption  blessings  purchased  there,  yet  it  is  stated  before 
Jesus  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  that  it  was  being  fulfilled  already  in 
his  personal  life  and  ministry,  as  he  healed  all  who  came  to  him. 
The  whole  plan  of  redemption  finds  its  center  in  the  cross.  Hence 
we  see  the  fulfillment  of  these  scriptures  began  before  the  death 
of  Christ,  but  nothing  less  than  this  could  complete  their  fulfill- 
ment. These  scriptures  associate  healing  with  salvation — Christ 
the  sin-bearer  and  sickness-bearer.  "  He  bare  our  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  tree."  This  tells  where  he  bare  them,  and  what  act 
it  was  on  His  part  that  fully  took  them  away. 

Now  it  is  evident  that  the  great  cause  of  sickness  is  found  in 
sin,  which  entered  into  the  world  through  the  fall  of  man.  Had  sin 
never  entered,  sickness  would  have  had  no  place.  As  both  are 
specified  in  these  atonement  scriptures,  it  is  evident  that  the  blood 
of  Christ  is  the  only  remedy  for  both.  The  cause  for  both  is  found 
in  the  fall ;  the  remedy  for  both  is  found  in  redemption. 

Oh,  let  us  stop  here  at  the  cross  and  behold  the  only  remedy 
that  God  provides  for  us.  Shall  we  become  discouraged  and  feel 
that  a  great  portion  of  our  hopes  are  fled,  when  we  find  that  human 
remedies  have  no  place  in  this  divine  plan  ?  No ;  but  we  see  more 
in  God's  redemption  than  before.  We  see  healing  in  the  atone- 
ment. We  see  healing  as  our  blood-bought  inheritance,  and  re- 
demption right.  We  see  healing  offered  to  all  who  are  weary  and 
sad  under  the  tyrant  hand  of  the  oppressor.  We  see  it  equally  as 
free  for  all  as  salvation  from  sin.  We  see  it  begun  in  Jesus  as 
he  "  went  about  doing  good  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of 
the  Devil."  We  see  it  perfected  in  Him  on  the  cross,  where  His 
precious  blood  was  shed  for  us,  where  the  life  stream  was  fully 
opened  and  sent  flowing  freely  in  the  world  for  both  soul  and  body. 

Praise  God !  we  see  new  beauties  in  Him,  our  Savior  and 
Healer.     He  is  mindful  of  our  bodies,  with  equally  as  much  in- 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  223 

terest  as  of  our  souls,  and  since  He  has  not  spared  His  own  blood 
to  purchase  this  redemption  for  both,  it  becomes  our  blessed  privi- 
lege to  possess  our  right.  Not  only  so,  but  we  should  look  upon 
it  as  more  than  our  privilege.  We  are  under  solemn  obligations 
to  honor  and  recognize  His  gracious  plan,  by  a  sacred  consecration 
of  soul  and  body  to  Him.  He  gave  His  all  to  us,  and  we  should 
give  our  all  to  Him.  We  see  also  that  this  is  not  a  special  pro- 
vision for  only  a  few  chosen  ones  among  the  children  of  men,  but 
it  is  a  universal  blessing  offered  to  all.  The  "  whosoever  will  " 
stands  in  this  plan  with  equal  prominence  for  soul  and  body ;  hence 
no  child  of  God  can  treat  this  subject  with  indifference.  It  ap- 
peals to  our  faith  with  a  divine  claim  which  cannot  be  safely  ig- 
nored. Indeed  the  time  is  at  hand  when  every  true  believer  in  the 
redemption  of  Christ  must  fully  acce'pt  Him  for  healing.  He  has 
bought  it  for  us  at  highest  cost,  and  we  must  in  return  render 
Him  His  highest  claim  upon  us. 

Ah,  dear  reader,  this  may  seem  rather  binding  upon  you,  but 
if  you  take  but  one  more  look  at  the  Son  of  God  upon  the  cross, 
through  these  atonement  scriptures,  and  then  open  your  heart  to 
Him  for  the  true  interpretation  of  the  same,  you  will  see  so  much 
more  in  Him  that  all  sense  of  obligation  will  vanish  away,  and 
your  heart  will  overflow  with  reverence  and  gratitude  for  the 
sacred  privilege  of  placing  your  body  into  His  hands  for  healing 
and  health.  It  is  His  exclusive  right.  As  the  husband  and  wife 
have  exclusive  claims  to  each  other's  affections,  so  Christ  has  the 
same  claim  on  our  soul  and  body.  "  We  are  members  of  His  body, 
of  His  flesh,  and  of  His  bones." — Eph.  5  :30. 

Our  entire  being  is  included  in  the  price  of  His  own  purchase. 
Praise  His  holy  name !  We  also  see  that  this  is  the  only  divinely 
authorized  remedy  for  sickness.  He  needs  no  earthly  means  to 
assist  Him  in  His  redemption.  Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and 
bare  our  sicknesses ;  not  himself  and  doctors,  nor  himself  and 
materia  medica,  but  positively  and  emphatically  himself.  Oh,  let 
us  give  honor  to  Him !  Let  us  bow  down  and  worship  Him,  and 
let  us  give  glory  to  none  other.  The  M.  D.s  have  set  up  images  of 
drugs  and  medicines  and  made  decrees  that  all  must  bow  down 
before  them,  but  let  us  ignore  every  such  decree  and  like  the 
three  Hebrews  before  the  heathen  king,  declare  that  we  will  not 
serve  their  medicine  gods,  nor  worship  the  images  they  have 
set  up. 


224  DIVINEHEALINa. 

LIFE  IN  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

"  For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made 
me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." — Rom.  8  :2. 

Nothing-  but  His  precious  blood  could  atone  for  sin. 
The  law  of  sin  and  death  could  be  broken  by  no  other  power  than 
Himself.  It  was  on  the  cross  He  received  the  sting,  but  by  the 
same  act  He  also  bruised  the  serpent's  head,  and  broke  the  power 
of  the  law  of  sin  and  death.  Sickness  belongs  to  that  law.  It  was 
disannulled  by  the  establishment  of  the  law  of  life,  under  which 
we  are  now  permitted  to  rejoice  in  deliverance  from  all  the  powers 
of  that  law  of  bondage.  The  apostle  describes  this  in  Hebrews 
2  :14,  15 — "Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood.  He  also  Himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same,  that 
through  death  He  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of  death, 
that  is,  the  Devil;  and  deliver  them  who  through  fear  of  death 
were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage.  Through 
the  death  of  Christ  the  kingdom  of  Satan  was  shattered, 
and  he  himself  was  made  powerless.  The  word  destroy,  as 
used  here,  fails  to  convey  the  sublime  truth  in  this  verse.  It  is 
better  rendered  in  other  translations :  Revised  Version,  "  bring 
to  naught ;"  German,  **take  away  his  might  or  strength ;"  Em- 
phatic, ''  vanquish ;"  Word  for  Word,  "  make  powerless,"  which 
all  literally  signify  that  through  death  Jesus  made  powerless  the 
Devil  and  took  away  his  dominion.  "  For  this  purpose  the  Son 
of  God  was  manifested,  that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
Devil."—!  Jno.  3  :8. 

From  Jordan  to  Calvary  he  left  a  path  of  destruction  to  the 
works  and  strongholds  of  the  enemy.  In  order  to  completely  undo 
his  power  it  was  necessary  that  Jesus  should  enter  the  gloomy 
regions  of  darkness,  and  taste  death  for  every  man.  He  met  and 
conquered  the  enemy  upon  the  plane  of  humanity,  then  went  into 
the  regions  of  death  and  hell  and  conquered  him  there.  Now  He 
offers  abundant  life  for  soul  and  body  to  every  one  who  will 
come  to  Him.  Thank  God  for  the  atonement  which  has  been 
made  through  His  precious  blood,  without  which  there  is  no  re- 
mission of  sins,  nor  access  to  God. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  225 

(matt.  12:22-28.) 

"  Then  was  brought  unto  Him  one  possessed  with  a  devil, 
bhnd  and  dumb ;  and  he  healed  him,  insomuch  that  the  blind  and 
dumb  both  spake  and  saw. 

"  And  all  the  people  were  amazed,  and  said.  Is  not  this  the  Son 
of  David? 

*'  But  when  the  Pharisees  heard  it,  they  said,  This  fellow 
doth  not  cast  out  devils,  but  by  Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the 
devils. 

"  And  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts,  and  said  unto  them.  Every 
kingdom  divided  against  itself,  is  brought  to  desolation ;  and  every 
city  or  house  divided  against  itself,  shall  not  stand. 

''  And  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan,  \\e  is  divided  against  him- 
self ;  how  shall  then  his  kingdom  stand  ? 

"  And  if  I  by  Beelzebub  cast  out  devils,  by  whom  do  your 
children  cast  them  out?  therefore  they  shall  be  your  judges. 

''  But  if  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  spirit  of  God,  then  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  come  unto  you." 

DIVINE  HEALING  IN  THE  RESURRECTION  OF  CHRIST. 

We  have  seen  how  the  death  of  Christ  purchased  life  for  us, 
how  the  atonement  has  provided  for  our  infirmities  and  sick- 
nesses, and  how  the  life-stream  was  fully  opened  and  flowing  from 
Calvary.  But  we  need  not  tarry  long  at  the  cross ;  the  precious 
blood  was  shed,  and  the  sacred  body  which  bore  the  stroke  of 
our  sins  and  weaknesses,  was  soon  taken  down  and  laid  in  the 
tomb.  Thank  God,  it  was  ''finished."  With  holy  reverence  we 
look  up  to  God  and  accept  the  testimony  of  the  sun,  the  earth,  the 
rent  veil  of  the  temple,  the  Roman  soldiers,  and  a  number  of 
resurrected  saints :  "  Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God."  We  see 
the  place  where  our  loving  Savior  and  Healer  is  buried.  The 
solemn  hours  pass  into  the  third  day  and  we  are  surprised  with 
startling  news  from  two  heavenly  messengers  as  they  address 
the  women  who  had  come  to  the  sepulchre  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing to  embalm  the  body  of  Jesus.  "  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among 
the  dead?  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen."  In  the  evening  of  the 
same  day  a  company  of  believers  were  gathered  together  with  the 
eleven  disciples.  Suddenly  Jesus  stood  in  their  midst  and  said, 
"  Peace  be  unto  you."    They  were  terrified  and  could  not  believe 


226  DIVINE     HEALING. 

that  it  was  the  very  same  Jesus  who  had  been  crucified,  and 
thought  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  But  Jesus  said,  "  Behold  my 
hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself,  handle  me  and  see;  for  a 
spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  me  have."  And  when 
He  had  thus  spoken  He  showed  them  His  hands  and  feet.  And 
while  they  yet  believed  not  for  joy  and  wondered,  he  said  unto 
them,  ''Have  ye  any  meat?"  And  they  gave  Him  a  piece  of 
broiled  fish  and  of  an  honeycomb.  And  He  took  it  and  did  eat 
before  them.  Praise  God  !  we  see  that  this  same  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
is  risen  from  the  dead. 

Much  testimony  of  eye-witnesses  can  be  produced  of  this  won- 
derful fact,  but  we  will  give  only  a  little  here,  simply  to  assist  in 
the  study  of  this  glorious  doctrine  of  the 

RESURRECTION   OF   CHRIST, 

without  which  there  can  be  no  salvation  or  healing  to-day.  ''  For 
if  the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised :  and  if  Christ  be 
not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain ;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins.  Then  they 
also  which  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ  are  perished.  .  .  .  But 
now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  first-fruits  of 
them  that  slept."— 1  Cor.  1.5  :16-20. 

"  Him,  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore- 
knowledge of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have 
crucified  and  slain;  whom  God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed 
the  pains  of  death ;  because  it  was  not  possible  that  He  should  be 
holden  of  it.  .  .  .  .  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  whereof 
we  are  all  witnesses." — Acts  2  :23,  24,  32. 

*'  But  ye  denied  the  Holy  One,  and  the  Just,  and  desired  a 
murderer  to  be  granted  unto  you,  and  killed  the  Prince  of  Life, 
whom  God  hath  raised  from  the  dead ;  whereof  we  are  witnesses." 
—Acts  2 :14,  15. 

"How  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  with  power;  who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing  all 
that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil;  for  God  was  with  him.  And 
we  are  witnesses  of  all  things  which  He  did  both  in  the  land  of 
the  Jews,  and  in  Jerulasem;  whom  they  slew  and  hanged  on  a 
tree;  Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day  and  showed  Him  openly. 
Not  unto  all  the  people,  but  unto  witnesses  chosen  before  of  God, 
even  to  us,  who  did  eat  and  drink  with  Him  after  He  rose  from 
the  dead."— Acts  10  :38-41. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  227 

We  have  had  abundant  evidence  of  the  power  and  will  of 
God  through  Christ,  to  save  and  heal,  in  His  life  and  ministry, 
before  His  death;  but  now  since  He  has  risen  from  the  dead  to 
live  forever,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  have  some  assurance 
of  the  continuation  of  His  will  toward  man.  Can  we  find  suffi- 
cient foundation  for  our  faith  in  this  same  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
for  our  healing,  since  His  resurrection?  Let  us  turn  again  to 
the  word  of  God  and  read  a  few  scriptures  to  prove  His  power 
and  authority,  His  will  and  His  presence. 

HIS   RESURRECTION   POWER  AND   AUTHORITY. 

**  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying,  All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth." — Matt.  28  :18. 

"  Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel  know  assuredly,  that 
God  hath  made  this  same  Jesus,  whom  ve  have  crucified,  both 
Lord  and  Christ."— Acts  2  :36. 

**  For  to  this  end  Christ  both  died  and  rose,  and  revived,  that 
He  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living." — Rom.  14 :9. 

**  And  what  is  the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power  to  us- 
ward  who  believe,  according  to  the  working  of  His  mighty  power, 
which  he  wrought  in  Christ,  when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead, 
and  set  Him  at  His  own  right  hand  in  heavenly  places,  far  above  all 
principality,  and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  in  that  which  is 
to  come;  and  hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet,  and  gave  Him 
to  be  the  head  over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  His  body, 
the  fullness  of  Him  that  filleth  all  in  all."— Eph.  1 :19-23. 

"To  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  principalities  and  powers  in 
heavenly  places  might  be  known  by  the  church  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God,  according  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he  pur- 
posed in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." — Eph.  3  :10,  11. 

''And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man.  He  humbled  Himself, 
and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  Him,  and  given  Him  a 
name  which  is  above  every  name." — Phil.  2  :8,  9. 

"  Who  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God , 
angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers  being  made  subject  unto 
him."— 1  Pet.  3:22. 

Oh,  let  us  rejoice  in  our  risen  and  all-powerful  Redeemer! 
He  lacked  no  power  over  all  principalities,   diseases,   or  devils 


228  DIVINE     HEALING. 

while  in  His  earthly  walk  among  men,  but  He  had  not  met  and 
conquered  them  all,  nor  tested  His  strength  to  save  to  the  utter- 
most, until  he  had,  through  death,  compassed  the  entire  realm 
of  the  enemy's  ground,  and  gone  to  the  deepest  depths  of  the 
fall,  and  "  led  captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts  to  men."  Now, 
we  see  Him  risen  to  the  highest  heights  of  all  power  anil 
authority  of  worlds  upon  worlds,  with  the  same  loving  and 
compassionate  heart  toward  all  men  that  He  had  when  in  His 
humble  ministry  here  among  the  suffering  and  helpless.  This  is 
verily  true,  as  the  following  scriptures  will  make  manifest. 


HTS    RESURRECTION,    WILL    AND    PROMISE. 

"  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost: 
teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you,  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 
Amen."— Matt.  28  :19,  20. 

It  was  His  will  that  His  disciples  should  go  out  and  make 
disciples  everywhere,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  that  He 
had  commanded  them.  This  signifies  that  His  resurrection  will 
to  all  the  world,  was  just  what  it  had  been  before  His  death,  to 
those  to  whom  He  had  ministered.  They  were  now  to  go,  not 
only  to  the  Jewish  nation,  but  to  all  the  world,  preaching  the 
gospel  and  healing  the  sick. 

In  the  gospel  by  Mark,  we  read  of  this  resurrection  message 
and  commission :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these 
signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe :  In  My  name  shall  they  cast 
out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ;  they  shall  take 
up  serpents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 
them  ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover. 
So  then  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them.  He  was  received 
up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  And  they 
went  forth,  and  preached  everywhere,  the  Lord  working  with 
them,  and  confirming  the  word  with  signs  following.  Amen." — 
Mark  16  :15-20. 

No  language  could  express  the  will  of  the  resurrected  Christ 
to  all  the  world  more  plainly  than  this.     In  it  we  find  healing 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  229 

clearly  specified.  *'  They  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they 
shall  recover."  Who  shall  do  this  in  His  name?  Answer: 
*'  These  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe."  If  there  were  no 
other  scriptural  evidences  of  His  will  to  us  to  heal  than  this,  the 
doctrine  of  healing  would  have  sufficient  foundation,  and  all  who 
are  called  of  God  to  go  forth  to  preach  the  gospel  could  also  with 
perfect  assurance  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  through  faith  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  they  would  recover. 

This  commission  was  given  personally  to  the  eleven  apostles. 
They  were  commanded  to  go  and  preach  and  baptize,  then  were 
given  the  precious  promises  that  follow.  How  strange  that  the 
attempt  should  be  made  to  preach  the  gospel  without  preaching  it 
all!  Healing  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  gospel.  History 
proves  the  fact  that  wherever  the  full. gospel  has  been  carried  into 
the  world,  there  the  accompanying  signs  of  healing  have  been 
manifested — from  the  time  the  disciples  first  went  out  under  this 
commission  and  were  successful.  "And  they  departed,  and  went 
ing  is  not  fn  this  commission;  that  casting  out  devils,  healing, 
etc.,  were  only  promises  to  them  that  believe.  But  we  see  that 
healing  was  in  the  commission,  prior  to  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
''  And  He  sent  them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  to  heal 
the  sick." — Luke  9  :2.  We  also  see  that  they  went  out  under  this 
commission  and  were  successful.  "And  they  departed,  and  went 
through  the  towns,  preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing  every- 
where."— Luke  9  :6.  ''  And  they  went  out,  and  preached  that 
men  should  repent,  and  they  cast  out  many  devils,  and  anointed 
with  oil  many  that  were  sick,  and  healed  them." — Mark  6  :12,  13. 

No  Bible  reader  should  dare  to  say  that  the  second  commission 
was  less  than  the  first.  Admitting  that  casting  out  demons,  heal- 
ing, etc.,  were  specified  as  promises  in  this  language  in  Mark  16, 
only  adds  to  the  fact  that  the  doctrine  of  healing  is  part  of  the 
gospel,  and  was  understood  so,  by  the  apostles,  the  promises  being 
given  to  prove  the  power  of  the  same,  to  all  who  should  be- 
lieve it. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  find  a  professing  minister  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  who  is  willing  to  admit  that  he  is  rejecting  an  im- 
portant part  of  it,  but  it  is  certainly  true  that  the  majority  of  such 
ministers  are  guilty,  and  will  be  compelled  to  repent  of  their  sin 
if  they  would  stand  justified  before  God. 


230  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE   RESURRECTION    PRESENCE  OF  CHRIST. 

We  have  seen  that  the  power  and  will  of  Christ  to  heal  all 
our  diseases  since  His  resurrection,  is  established  by  the  word 
of  God,  and  how  can  He  heal  us  in  His  absence?  If  our  eyes 
could  but  see  Him,  and  His  loving  hand  could  be  laid  upon  us, 
we  could  surely  believe  for  healing.  Ah,  but  dear  reader,  there 
are  blessed  promises  to  us  who  cannot  see  Him.  The  apostle 
Thomas  could  not  believe  in  the  resurrection  presence  of  Jesus 
without  seeing  Him.  When  he  did  see  Him,  Jesus  said  to  him : 
"  Thomas  because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed:  blessed 
are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  believe." — Jno.  20  :29. 

When  He  ascended  to  the  right  hand  of  God  He  left  His 
name  on  earth  and  sent  the  Holy  Spirit  to  dwell  in  the  hearts  of, 
and  among,  all  who  obey  Him.  In  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  we  have  all  the  power  and  blessings  of  Jesus.  When  he 
promised  to  send  the  spirit,  He  said,  "  At  that  day  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me.  and  I  in  you.  ...  If 
a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words ;  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 
— Jno.  14  :20,  23.  "  That  He  would  grant  you,  according  to  the 
riches  of  His  glory,  to  be  strengthened  with  might  by  His  Spirit 
in  the  inner  man;  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith." 
— Eph.  3  :16,  17. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  in  the  representative  and  executive  power 
of  Christ  upon  earth  to  perpetuate  His  redemption  work  in  sal- 
vation and  healing,  in  the  ministry  of  the  pure  gospel.  His  pen- 
tecostal  endowment  alone  can  qualify  men  to  go  forth  with  this 
gospel,  which  when  faithfully  preached  will  be  blessed  as  it  was 
through  the  apostles,  *'  The  Lord  working  with  them  and  con- 
firming with  signs  following."  We  can  see,  therefore,  how  that 
in  the  Holy  Spirit  we  may  have  the  resurrection  power,  will  and 
presence  of  Christ  in  us.  This  is  how  He  can  be  absent  from 
us  in  body,  and  yet  fulfill  His  promise  to  us :  ''  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

DIVINE  HEALING   IN   THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

Eleven  of  the  apostles  preached  the  gospel  under  two  dif- 
ferent commissions ;  the  first  before,  the  second,  after  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  Christ.     In  a  previous  chapter  we  considered 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  231 

briefly  the  effect  of  Christ's  resurrection  upon  the  doctrine  of 
healing,  and  how  it  has  been  incorporated  in  the  second^  or, 
resurrection  commission,  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  first.  In  a 
few  respects  the  two  commissions  are  very  much  unHke,  but  these 
points  of  difference  only  add  to  the  saving  and  healing  power 
of  the  second  commission.  One  point  of  difference  between  the 
two  is  that,  under  the  second,  they  were  not  to  go  forth  until  they 
had  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  enduement  of 
power  from  on  high.  This  pentecostal  enduement  was  certainly 
an  advantage,  which  we  cannot  here  stop  to  fully  consider,  but 
it  is  safe  to  state  that  the  second  commission  was,  as  the  disciples 
went  forth  under  it,  far  superior  to  the  first  in  its  spiritual  effects 
upon  the  hearts  of  men,  and  must  necessarily,  therefore,  be 
greater  in  every  other  respect.  Another  point  of  difference,  which 
is  but  in  favor  of  the  second,  they  were  to  go  forth  "  into  all 
the  world" ;  where,  in  the  first  place,  they  were  to  go  only  among 
the  Jews.  The  comparative  points  in  which  these  two  commis- 
sions were  alike  may  all  be  summed  up  in  the  words  of  Jesus  in 
Matt.  28 :20 — "  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you."  They  were  already  possessed  under 
the  first  commission  with  power  and  authority  over  all  devils,  and 
to  cure  diseases." — Luke  9  :1.  They  had  gone  forth  into  the 
towns,  **  preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere." — Luke 
9  :6.  Now  under  the  second,  they  were  to  carry  this  gospel  to  all 
nations  with  the  added  authority  of  this  pentecostal  power. 


232  DIVINE     HEALING. 


AN  INVALID  FOR  OVER  THIRTY  YEARS. 

The  author  of  this  work  was  an  invaHd  for  over  thirty 
years.  In  the  spring  of  18GG  1  was  struck  by  hghtning  and 
knocked  head  over  heels,  and  during  the  month  of  August  in  the 
same  year  I  was  prostrated  by  a  sunstroke  which  paralyzed  the 
nerves  of  my  bowels,  causing  constipation  of  a  very  obstinate 
character,  succeeded  by  first  one  and  then  another  disease  which 
trammeled  upon  my  constitution  until  I  knew  myself  only  as  one 
inseparable  from  disease.  At  times  I  suffered  untold  agony. 
Among  the  different  diseases  I  became  afflicted  with  was  one 
known  as  insomnia.  I  have  walked  the  floor  every  night  successive- 
ly for  months.  In  connection  with  this,  the  most  dreaded  of  all  dis- 
eases, I  had  liver  and  kidney  disease,  dyspepsia,  gall  stones, 
nephritic  colic,  cramp  colic,  constipation  of  the  bowels.  In  fact, 
my  bowels  would  not  move  at  all  Avithout  the  use  of  medicines  or 
injections  of  some  sort  or  other. 

I  had  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  and  for  a  time  lost  the  use  of  my 
legs,  so  that  I  could  not  walk  for  three  months  without  crutches. 

I  also  had  La  Grippe,  heart  trouble,  disease  of  the  brain,  ul- 
cerated stomach  and  vomited  a  great  deal  of  blood ;  had  rheu- 
matism, asthma  and  felt  at  times  that  I  was  wholly  incarcerated 
in  disease  and  that  incineration  would  be  my  only  relief. 

I  was  lanced,  leeched,  blistered,  purged  and  salivated.  I  used 
emetics,  sudarifics,  diaphoretics,  diuretics,  anodynes,  antizymotics, 
antipyretics,  etc. 

I  doctored  with  Allopathic,  Osteopathic,  Homeopathic,  Eclec- 
tics, Hydropathics,  Hygienics,  Electrics,  Suggestionists,  Mag- 
netists.  Magnetic  Healers,  Christian  and  Allied  Scientists,  without 
avail. 

I  have  used  and  tried  every  system  ever  invented  by  man's 
ingenuity,  including  the  whole  range  of  so-called  curatives,  such 
as  massage,  rubbing,  Swedish  manipulations,  the  multiple  kind 
of  baths,  the  various  methods  of  physical  culture;  but  each  and 
every  one  failed  to  cure  me  or  even  approach  a  cure,  many  falling 
short  of  even  temporary  relief. 

I  then  began  to  travel,  and  for  several  years  I  spent  much  time 
and  money  in  the  search  of  health  at  all  the  noted  health  resorts 
all  the  way  from  Maine  to  California,  from  the  sun-scorched 
plains  of  Panama  to  the  icelands  of  Canada  and  sterile  Mexico. 
Every  climate  disagreed  with  me. 


MIXD     AND     FAITH     CURE.  233 

111  the  tropical  countries,  when  it  got  too  hot  for  me,  I  became 
restless,  uneasy,  and  disease  troubled,  and  would  pack  my  grip 
to  sojourn  north  in  search  of  the  North  Pole  to  cool  of¥. 

After  all  this  search  for  relief  and  cure  of  my  ailments  I  finally 
began  to  despair,  and  this  prolonged  siege  of  ill-health  began  to 
tell  on  me;  and  I  began  to  get  disgusted  with  everything  and 
everybody  and  at  last  myself.  In  this  state  I  began  to  ponder  over 
my  condition  seriously,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  something- 
was  wrong. 

The  Bible  says  that  when  God  made  man  he  pronounced  him 
good  and  perfect.    He  made  man  in  His  image  and  likeness. 

God  is  a  spirit,  and  man  is  a  spirit  made  in  His  image  and  like- 
ness, then  man  is  a  spiritual  being;  if  that  is  the  truth,  can  a  spirit 
get  sick?  Then  if  a  spirit  cannot  get  sick  and  I  am  a  spirit,  how 
can  I  be  sick?  I  began  to  see  deafly.  I  saw  a  faint  glimmer  of 
the  dawn  of  new  hope.  My  star  of  health  was  just  appearing 
visibly  in  the  great  firmament  of  God's  universe. 

When  I  was  made,  God  made  me  a  perfect  child,  therefore  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  my  sickness,  as  well  as  everybodv 
else's  sickness  was  and  is  the  workings  of  Old  Nick,  the  Devil, 
and  he  uses  the  mortal  mind  as  his  agent. 

After  baffling  the  skill  of  the  most  noted  physicians  in  tht 
United  States,  I  received  only  temporary  relief,  until  I  finally  bo- 
came  disgusted  with  doctors  and  their  medicines,  and,  as  a  last 
resort,  I  turned  my  case  over  to  God  Almighty  through  Jesus 
Christ,  and  they  healed  me.  Now,  let  the  scribes  and  the  Phar- 
isees and  the  infidels  croak — and  let  the  theologians  cavil  about  the 
last  seven  verses  of  Mark  16.  Translators  may  reject  them  if 
they  will,  the  infidel  may  say  that  the  days  of  miracles  are  past, 
the  multitude  of  professing  Christians  may  persecute  and  falsify, 
say  all  manner  of  evil  against  those  who  believe  in  Christ,  our 
resurrected  and  living  healer ;  but  here  is  a  living  witness,  a  bright 
and  healthy  child  of  God,  to  testify  against  this  wicked  and  un- 
believing generation  to  the  power  of  Christ  to  heal  all  our  in- 
firmities and  sickness.  O,  that  the  Lord  may  turn  His  eye  upon 
the  multitude  of  skeptics  who  are  in  this  case  to-day!  May  He 
forgive  the  slights  which  they  put  upon  His  divine  power,  and 
call  them  by  the  sweet  constraining  voice  to  rise  from  the  bed  of 
despair  and,  in  the  energy  of  faith,  take  up  their  bed  and  walk. 

I  will  be  pleased  to  impart  such  information  to  the  afflicted  as 
they  may  wish  to  know,  in  their  respective  cases.  Consultation 
free,  whether  by  letter  or  personal  interview.  For  further  par- 
ticulars, call  on  or  address.  Dr.  S.  A.  Richmond,  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 


234  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE  RAISING  OF  JAIRUS'  DAUGHTER. 
(mark  5:22-23.) 

''And  behold,  there  cometh  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue, 
Jairus  by  name ;  and  when  he  saw  Him,  he  fell  at  His  feet, 

"And  besought  Him  greatly,  saying.  My  little  daughter  lieth 
It  the  point  of  death ;  /  pray  thee,  come  and  lay  thy  hands  on  her, 
that  she  may  be  healed ;  and  she  shall  live." 

Jesus  is  passing  through  the  throng  to  the  house  of  Jairus,  to 
raise  the  ruler's  dead  daughter ;  but  He  is  so  profuse  in  goodness 
that  He  works  another  miracle  while  upon  the  road.  While  yet  this 
rod  of  Aaron  bears  the  blossom  of  an  unaccomplished  wonder,  it 
yields  the  ripe  almonds  of  a  perfect  work  of  mercy. 

If  our  Lord  is  so  ready  to  heal  the  sick  and  bless  the  needy, 
then,  my  soul,  be  not  thou  slow  to  put  thyself  in  His  way,  that 
He  may  smile  on  thee.  Be  not  slack  in  asking,  if  He  is  so  abun- 
dant in  bestowing.  Give  earnest  heed  to  His  word  now,  and 
at  all  times,  that  Jesus  may  speak  through  it  to  thy  heart.  Where 
He  is  to  be  found,  there  make  thy  resort,  that  thou  mayst  obtain 
His  blessing.  When  He  is  present  to  heal,  may  He  not  heal  thee  ? 
But  surely  He  is  present  even  now,  for  He  always  comes  to  hearts 
which  need  Him.  And  dost  not  thou  need  Him  ?  Ah,  He  knows 
how  much !  Thou  Son  of  David,  turn  Thine  eye  and  look  upon 
the  distress  which  is  now  before  Thee,  and  make  thy  suppliant 
whole. 

HE  HEALETH  THE  BROKEN  IN  HEART  AND  BIND- 
ETH  UP  THEIR  WOUNDS. 

(psalm  147:3.) 

There  are  many  sorts  of  broken  hearts,  and  Christ  is  good  at 
healing  them  all.  The  patients  of  the  great  Physician  are  those 
whose  hearts  are  broken  through  sorrozv.  Hearts  are  broken 
through  disappointment.  Hearts  are  broken  by  bereavement. 
Hearts  are  broken  in  ten  thousand  ways,  for  this  is  a  heart-break- 
ing world;  and  Christ  is  good  at  healing  all  manner  of  heart- 
breaks. I  would  encourage  every  person  here,  even  though  his 
heart-break  may  not  be  of  a  spiritual  kind,  to  make  an  application 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUKE.  235 

to  Him  who  healeth  the  broken  in  heart.  The  text  does  not  say, 
"the  spiritually  broken  in  heart,"  therefore  I  will  not  insert  an 
adverb  where  there  is  none  in  the  passage.  Come  hither,  ye 
that  are  burdened,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden;  come 
hither,  all  ye  that  sorrow,  be  your  sorrow  what  it  may;  come 
hither,  all  ye  whose  hearts  are  broken,  be  the  heart-break  what 
it  may,  for  He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart. 

Still,  there  is  a  special  brokenness  of  heart  to  which  Christ 
gives  the  very  earliest  and  tenderest  attention.  He  heals  those 
hearts  which  are  broken  for  sin.  Christ  heals  the  heart  that  is 
broken  because  of  its  sin ;  so  that  it  grieves,  laments,  regrets,  and 
bemoans  itself,  saying,  "Woe  is  me  that  I  have  done  this  ex- 
ceeding great  evil,  and  brought  ruin  upon  myself !  Woe  is  me 
that  I  have  dishonored  ^od,  that  i  have  cast  myself  away  from 
His  presence,  that  I  have  made  myself  liable  to  His  everlasting 
wrath,  and  that  even  now  His  wrath  abideth  upon  me  !"  If  there  is  a 
man  here  whose  heart  is  broken  about  his  past  life,  he  is  the 
man  to  whom  my  text  refers.  Are  you  heart-broken  because  you 
have  wasted  forty,  fifty,  sixty  years  ?  Are  you  heart-broken  at  the 
remembrance  that  you  have  cursed  the  God  who  has  blessed  you, 
that  you  have  denied  the  existence  of  Him  without  whom  you 
never  would  have  been  in  existence  yourself,  that  you  have  lived 
to  train  your  family  without  godliness,  without  any  respect  to 
the  Most  High  God  of  all?  Has  the  Lord  brought  this  home 
to  you  ?  Has  He  made  you  feel  what  a  hideous  thing  it  is  to  be 
blind  to  Christ,  to  refuse  His  love,  to  reject  His  blood,  to  live  an 
enemy  to  your  best  Friend  ?    ''He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart." 

Christ  also  heals  hearts  that  are  broken  from  sin.  When  you 
and  sin  have  quarreled,  never  let  the  quarrel  be  made  up  again. 
You  and  sin  were  friends  at  one  time ;  but  now  you  hate  sin,  and 
you  would  be  wholly  rid  of  it  if  you  could.  You  wish  never  to 
sin.  You  are  anxious  to  be  clear  of  the  most  darling  sin  that 
you  ever  indulged  in,  and  you  desire  to  be  made  pure  as  God  is 
pure.  Your  heart  is  broken  away  from  its  old  moorings.  That 
which  you  once  loved  you  now  hate.  That  which  you  once  hated 
you  now  at  least  desire  to  love.  "He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart." 
If  there  is  a  broken-hearted  person  anywhere  about,  many 
people  despise  him.  "Oh,"  they  say,  "he  is  melancholy,  he  is 
mad,  he  is  out  of  his  mind  through  religion !"  Yes,  men  despise 
the  broken  in  heart,  but  such,  oh  God,  Thou  wilt  not  despise ! 
The  Lord  looks  after  such,  and  heals  them. 


286  JJ  I  y  I  A  A'     H  E  ALI  N  G  . 

Those  who  do  not  despise  them,  at  any  rate  avoid  them.  I 
know  some  few  friends  who  have  long  been  of  a  broken  heart; 
and  when  I  feel  rather  dull,  I  must  confess  that  I  do  not  always 
go  their  way,  for  they  are  apt  to  make  me  feel  more  depressed. 
Yet  would  I  not  get  out  of  their  way  if  I  felt  that  I  could  help 
them.  Still,  it  is  the  nature  of  men  to  seek  the  cheerful  and  the 
happy,  and  to  avoid  the  broken-hearted.  God  does  not  do  so; 
He  heals  the  broken  in  heart.  He  goes  where  thy  are,  and  He 
reveals  Himself  to  them  as  the  Comforter  and  the  Healer. 

In  a  great  many  cases  people  despair  of  the  broken-hearted 
ones.  "It's  no  use,"  says  one,  'T  have  tried  to  comfort  her,  but 
I  cannot  do  it."  'T  have  wasted  a  great  many  words,"  says 
another,  ''on  such  and  such  a  friend,  and  I  cannot  help  him.  I 
despair  of  his  ever  getting  out  of  the  dark."  Not  so  is  it  with 
God ;  He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart.  He  despairs  of  none.  He 
shows  the  greatness  of  His  power,  and  the  wonders  of  His  wis- 
dom by  fetching  men  and  women  out  of  the  lowest  dungeon 
wherein  despair  has  shut  them. 

As  for  the  heart-broken  ones  themselves,  they  do  not  think 
that  they  ever  can  be  converted.  Some  of  them  are  sure  that  they 
never  can  ;  they  wish  that  they  were  dead,  though  I  do  not  see 
what  they  would  gain  by  that.  Others  of  them  wish  that  they 
had  never  been  born,  though  that  is  a  useless  wish  now.  Some 
are  ready  to  rush  after  any  new  thing  to  try  to  find  a  little  com- 
fort; while  others,  getting  worse  and  worse,  are  sitting  down 
in  sullen  despair.  I  wish  that  I  knew  who  these  are;  I  should 
like  to  come  around,  and  just  say  to  them,  "Come,  brother,  there 
must  be  no  doubting  and  no  despair  to-night,  for  my  text  is  glori- 
ously complete,  and  is  meant  for  you.  'He  healeth  the  broken  in 
heart,  and  bindeth  up  their  wounds.'  "  Notice  that  fifth  verse, 
''Great  is  our  Lord,  and  of  great  power;  His  understanding  is 
infinite."  Consequently,  He  can  heal  the  broken  in  heart.  God 
is  glorious  at  a  dead  lift.  When  a  soul  cannot  stir,  or  help  itself, 
God  delights  to  come  in  with  His  omnipotence,  and  lift  the  great 
load,  and  set  the  burdened  one  free. 

It  takes  great  wisdom  to  comfort  a  broken  heart.  If  any  of 
you  have  ever  tried  it,  I  am  sure  that  you  have  not  found  it  an 
easy  task.  I  have  given  much  of  my  life  to  this  work;  and  I 
always  come  away  from  a  desponding  one  with  a  consciousness 
of  my  own  inability  to  comfort  the  heart-broken  and  cast  down. 
Only  God  can  do  it.  Blessed  be  His  name,  that  He  has  arranged 
that  one  person  of  the  Sacred  Trinity  should  undertake  this  office 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  237 

of  Comforter,  for  no  man  could  ever  perform  its  duties.  We 
might  as  well  hope  to  be  the  Savior  as  to  be  the  comforter  of  the 
heart-broken.  Efficiently  and  completely  to  save  or  to  comfort 
must  be  a  work  divine.  That  is  why  the  Holy  Spirit  has  under- 
taken to  be  the  comforter ;  and  Christ,  through  the  Divine  Spirit, 
healeth  the  broken  in  heart,  and  bindeth  up  their  wounds  with 
infinite  power  and  unfailing  skill. 

11.  Now,  secondly,  we  are  going  to  consider  the  Physician 
AND  HIS  MEDICINE.  ''He  hcalcth  the  broken  in  heart,  and 
, bindeth  up  their  wounds."  Who  is  this  that  healeth  the  broken 
in  heart  ? 

I  answer,  that  Jestts  was  anointed  of  God  for  this  work:  He 
said,  ''The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor ;  He  hath  sent  me  to 
heal  the  broken-hearted."  Was  the  Holy  Spirit  given  to  Christ  in 
vain  ?  That  cannot  be.  He  was  given  for  a  purpose  which  must 
be  answered,  and  that  purpose  is  the  healing  of  the  broken- 
hearted. By  the  very  anointing  of  Christ  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  you 
may  be  sure  that  our  Physician  will  heal  the  broken  in  heart. 

Further,  Jesus  was  sent  of  God  on  purpose  to  do  this  work: 
"He  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted."  If  Christ  docs 
not  heal  the  broken-hearted.  He  will  not  fulfill  the  mission  for 
which  He  came  from  heaven.  If  the  broken-hearted  are  not 
cheered  by  His  glorious  life  and  the  blessings  that  flow  out  of 
His  death,  then  He  will  have  come  to  earth  for  nothing.  This 
is  the  very  errand  on  which  the  Lord  of  Glory  left  the  bosom  of 
the  Father  to  be  veiled  in  human  clay,  that  He  might  heal  the 
broken  in  heart ;  and  He  will  do  it. 

Our  Lord  was  also  educated  for  this  work.  He  was  not  only 
anointed  and  sent;  but  He  was  trained  for  it.  "How?"  say  you. 
Why,  He  had  a  broken  heart  Himself ;  and  there  is  no  education 
for  the  office  of  Comforter  like  being  placed  where  you  yourself 
have  need  of  comfort,  so  that  you  may  be  able  to  comfort  others 
with  the  comfort  wherewith  you  yourself  have  been  comforted 
of  God.  Is  your  heart  broken?  Christ's  heart  was  broken.  He 
said,  "Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart;  and  I  am  full  of  heavi- 
ness." He  went  as  low  as  you  have  even  been,  and  deeper  than 
you  can  ever  go.  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?"  was  His  bitter  cry.  If  that  be  your  agonized  utterance. 
He  can  interpret  it  by  His  own  sufifering.  He  can  measure  your 
grief  by  His  own  grief.  Broken  hearts,  there  is  no  heahng  for 
you  except  through  Him  who  had  a  broken  heart  Himself.     Ye 


238  DIVINE     HEALING. 

disconsolate,  come  to  him !  He  can  make  your  heart  happy  and 
joyous,  by  the  very  fact  of  His  own  sorrow,  and  the  brokenness 
of  His  own  heart.  "In  all  our  afflictions  He  was  afflicted."  He 
was  'tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,"  "a  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief."  For  a  broken  heart,  there  is  no  physician 
like  Him. 

Once  more,  I  can  strongly  recommend  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Healer  of  broken  hearts,  because  He  is  so  experienced  in 
the  work.  Some  people  are  afraid  that  the  doctor  will  try  experi- 
ments upon  them;  but  our  Physician  will  only  do  for  us  what 
He  has  done  many  times  before.  It  is  no  matter  of  experiment 
with  Him;  it  is  a  matter  of  experience.  If  you  knock  to-night 
at  my  great  Doctor's  door,  you  will,  perhaps  say  to  Him,  ''Here 
is  the  strangest  patient,  my  Lord,  that  ever  came  to  see  Thee." 
He  will  smile  as  he  looks  at  you,  and  He  will  think,  "I  have  saved 
hundreds  like  you."  Here  comes  one  who  says,  "That  first  man's 
case  was  nothing  compared  with  mine;  I  am  about  the  worst 
sinner  who  ever  lived."  And  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  say, 
"Yes,  I  saved  the  worst  man  that  ever  lived  long  ago,  and  I  keep 
on  saving  such  as  he.  I  delight  to  do  it."  But  here  comes  one 
who  has  a  curious  odd  way  of  broken-heartedness.  He  is  an  out- 
of-the-way  fretter.  Yes,  but  my  Lord  is  able  to  "have  compassion 
on  the  ignorant,  and  on  them  that  are  out  of  the  way."  He  can 
lay  hold  of  this  out-of-the-way  one  ;  for  He  has  always  been  saving 
out-of-the-way  sinners.  My  Lord  has  been  healing  broken  hearts 
well  nigh  nineteen  hundred  years.  Can  you  find  a  brass  plate 
anywhere  telling  of  a  physician  of  that  age?  He  has  been  at  the 
work  longer  than  that ;  for  it  is  not  far  off  six  thousand  years  since 
He  went  into  this  business,  and  He  has  been  healing  the  broken  in 
heart  ever  since  that  time. 

I  will  tell  you  one  thing  about  Him  that  I  have  on  good 
authority,  that  is.  He  never  lost  a  case  yet.  There  never  was 
one  who  came  to  Him  with  a  broken  heart,  but  He  healed  him. 
He  never  said  to  one,  "You  are  too  bad  for  me  to  heal ;"  but  He 
did  say,"Him  that  cometh  to  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
My  dear  reader.  He  will  not  cast  you  out ;  and  you  have  come 
here  to-night,  and  you  hardly  know  why  you  are  here ;  only  you 
are  very  low  and  very  sad.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  loves  just 
such  as  you  are,  you  poor,  desponding,  doubting,  desolate,  discon- 
solate one.  Daughters  of  sorrow,  sons  of  grief,  look  ye  here ! 
Jesus  Christ  has  gone  on  healing  broken  hearts  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  He  is  still  in  the  business.     He  understands  it  by  ex- 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  239 

perienc€,  as  well  as  by  education.  He  is  "mighty  to  save."  Con- 
sider Him ;  consider  Him,  and  the  Lord  grant  you  grace  to 
come  and  trust  Him  even  now ! 

Thus  I  have  talked  to  you  about  the  Physician  for  broken 
hearts;  shall  I  tell  you  what  His  chief  medicine  is?  It  is  His 
own  flesh  and  blood.  There  is  no  cure  like  it.  When  a  sinner  is 
bleeding  with  sin,  Jesus  pours  His  own  blood  into  the  wound ;  and 
when  that  wound  is  slow  in  healing,  He  binds  His  own  sacrifice 
about  it.  Healing  for  broken  hearts  comes  by  the  atonement, 
atonement  by  substitution,  Christ  suffering  in  our  stead.  He  suf- 
fered for  every  one  who  believeth  in  Him,  and  he  that  belie  verb 
in  Him  is  not  condemned,  and  never  can  be  condemned,  for  the 
condemnation  due  to  him  was  laid  upon  Christ. 


CHRIST  CLEANSETH  THE  LEPER. 

"Behold,  there  came  a  leper  and  worshipped  Him,  saying, 
Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean.  And  Jesus  put 
forth  His  hand,  and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean. 
And  immediately  his  leprosy  was  cleansed." — Matthew  8  :2-3. 

Matthew  has  placed  this  miracle  immediately  after  the  sermon 
on  the  mount.  In  all  probability  some  little  time  intervened,  in 
which  our  Lord  had  preached  at  Capernaum,  and  had  also  healed 
the  people  in  the  street,  as  we  read  just  now  in  the  first  chapter  of 
Mark.  It  was  not  the  object  of  Matthew  to  arrange  his  facts 
precisely  in  the  order  of  time ;  He  had  another  end  in  view.  After 
the  sermon  on  the  mount.  He  gives  us  remarkable  miracles,  as  if  to 
teach  us  that  our  Lord's  words  were  coniirmed  by  His  works. 
Our  Lord  was  mighty  both  in  word  and  deed.  His  kingdom 
comes  not  only  with  truth,  but  with  power.  He  wrought  miracles 
that  men  might  see  with  their  eyes  that  the  power  of  God  was 
upon  Him,  and  might  know  that  He  spake  with  divine  authority. 
At  this  day,  beloved,  it  is  even  so.  Power  goes  forth  with  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are  spirit 
and  life ;  they  are  in  themselves  full  of  authority,  and  we  ought  to 
accept  them  with  ready  faith ;  but  since  we  are  slow  to  believe,  the 
Lord  continues  to  work  as  well  as  speak  ;  the  "signs  following"  are 
still  to  be  perceived — ^blind  eyes  are  opened,  deaf  ears  are  un- 
stopped, hearts  of  stone  are  turned  to  flesh,  and  the  dead  in  sin 
are  quickened.  Conversion  by  grace  follows  the  proclamation  of  the 
doctrines  of  grace ;  for  the  word  is  with  power.     Beloved,  we  have 


240  DI  V  I  A  i:     H  H  A  L  I  S  U  . 

beheld  wonders  of  regenerating  power  in  our  own  midst,  and 
therefore  we  are  bound  to  beheve  in  Jesus  more  and  more.  Blessed 
be  the  divine  power  wh)cli  confirms  the  word !  Jesus  is  never 
known  in  the  full  authority  of  His  word  until  the  Holy  Spirit 
makes  us  feel  the  glory  of  His  work  within  our  hearts.  We  have 
the  word,  and  we  pray  for  more  of  the  work.  The  Lord  speaks  to 
us  graciously  in  the  gospel  ministry.  Oh,  that  He  would  now 
work  with  us  also  in  His  own  glory ! 

When  our  Lord  spake.  His  words  were  winged  in  such  a  zvay 
that  they  flezv  far  afield.  He  was  heard,  not  only  by  the  nearer 
company  of  His  disciples,  and  by  a  great  multitude  who  gathered 
about  Him,  but  His  words  were  carried  home  by  the  people  as 
they  returned  to  their  cottages  among  the  hills,  or  to  their  dwell- 
ings by  the  sea.  They  flew  abroad  as  doves  whose  wings  were 
covered  with  silver,  and  they  lighted  in  strange  places.  His 
words  had  so  much  pungency  about  them  that  they  could  not  be 
forgotten ;  they  had  so  much  of  force  in  them  that  they  wrought 
mightily  on  the  minds  of  men,  and  were  repeated  by  those  who 
heard  them.  Among  the  rest,  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  came  to 
a  poor  leper,  who  dwelt  alone  outside  a  city  wall.  We  know  little 
about  him ;  even  his  name  is  not  mentioned,  but  to  him  also  the 
glad  tidings  of  a  Savior  came.  He  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
solitude,  or  in  begging;  for  he  could  not  follow  the  pursuits  of 
men,  nor  earn  his  bread  like  other  men.  The  disease  of  despair 
was  upon  him,  and  none  could  help  him  in  his  trouble.  He  had 
heard  of  Jesus,  and,  perhaps,  on  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  had 
heard  Him  speak.  He  felt  that  there  was  something  divix'.e 
about  the  preacher  who  spake  as  never  man  spake :  this  aroused 
hope  within  him :  he  came  to  Jesus,  and  was  healed.  Wliar  was 
his  name,  or  his  descent,  or  previous  history,  we  do  not  know. 
He  ranks  among  the  notable  annonymous  of  earth,  whose  names 
are  written  in  heaven.  No  one  among  you  knows  where  God's 
word  will  fly  this  day :  it  may  be  blessed  to  some  outcast  in  the 
bush,  who  will  read  it,  and  find  mercy  of  the  Lord. 

Read  in  scripture  concerning  the  miracles  of  Christ,  and  you 
will  be  struck  with  the  way  in  which  many  were  led  to  Him.  A 
friendly  hand  conducted  the  blind,  or  conducted  the  little  children. 
Some  were  bodily  brought  to  Christ.  We  read  of  a  paralyzed  n.an 
who  was  ''borne  of  four,"  and  they  let  him  down  by  ropes  through 
the  ceiling  to  the  place  where  Jesus  stood.  Others  could  not  come 
or  be  brought,  but  the  Lord  went  to  them  where  they  were,  on  ',heir 
beds,  or   waiting  at   the   pool.      But   here   is   a   case   of    a   man 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  241 

who  came  by  himself,  on  his  own  account ;  and  I  want  you  to  note 
this,  because  I  am  persuaded  that  we  have  around  us  those  who 
have  nobody  to  lead  them  to  Christ,  nobody  to  pray  for  them,  no- 
body to  persuade,  exhort,  or  entreat  them ;  but  these  may  come 
through  the  direct  operations  of  the  Spirit  upon  their  souis.  These 
are  left  outside  the  pale,  dwelling  on  the  other  side  of  the  line  of 
Christian  effort ;  but  they  are  not  beyond  the  grace  of  God.  This 
leper  did  come  of  himself;  though  none  called  him,  he  plucked 
up  courage,  and  it  is  written  as  a  wonder,  "Behold,  there  came  a 
leper  and  worshipped  Him." 

Note  well  that  this  man  kneiv  in  himself  that  his  case  zvas 
a  terrible  one.  I  do  not  intend  to  describe  the  dreadful  disease 
of  leprosy ;  we  have,  on  other  occasions,  viewed  it  as  God's  ap- 
pointed picture  of  sin.  It  was  a  living  death,  a  source  of  misery, 
a  centre  of  defilement :  and  such  is  sin.  Medical  meji  are  not 
clear  as  to  whether  the  leprosy  was  ordinarily  infectious.  It  is 
now  believed  that  it  is  contagious  to  a  certain  degree ;  but  there 
was  no  pressing  sanitary  reason  why  lepers  should  have  been 
shut  out  from  all  society.  The  Lord,  who  intended  leprosy,  under 
the  old  theocracy,  to  be  the  picture  of  sin,  ordained  that,  when 
once  a  man  was  a  leper,  he  should  be  regarded  as  unclean  in  him- 
self, and  so  polluting  that  every  person  and  thing  he  touched  be- 
came unclean.  Hence  the  leper  was  dreaded  in  his  every  approach 
to  his  fellows.  He  was  looked  upon  as  dead  while  he  lived,  and 
his  case  was  viewed  as  beyond  human  help.  Remember  how  the 
king  of  Israel  cried  out,  "Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  make  alive,  that 
this  man  doth  send  unto  me  to  recover  a  man  of  his  leprosy?"  If 
a  leper  did  recover  it  was  regarded  as  a  making  alive,  a  resurrec- 
tion from  death.  This  man  knew,  even  better  than  anybody 
else,  in  what  a  wretched  and  loathsome  state  he  was.  His  disease 
was  ever  before  him.  Leprosy  is  awful  to  look  upon :  what  must 
it  be  to  feel  ?  Leprosy  is  terrible  in  description ;  what  must  it 
be  in  actual  endurance?  He  knew  that  now  at  length  he  had 
come  to  the  last  stage  of  his  malady;  for  Luke  describes  him  as 
"full  of  leprosy"  ;  he  had  come  to  the  final  stage,  and  the  disease 
was  conspicuous  upon  him.  His  skin  was  foul,  and  his  joints  were 
rotting.  V^ery  likely  his  fingers,  his  teeth,  and  hair  were  gone,  and 
soon  he  must  die.  Such  was  the  mass  of  moving  death  of  which 
we  read,  "Behold,  there  came  a  leper  to  Him."  He  was  not  kept 
back  by  the  fact  that  he  was  hopelessly  and  loathsomely  diseased. 

Let  us  learn  the  lesson  well.     I  earnestly  pray  that  some  poor 
guilty  one,  conscious  of  sin,  horrified  at  himself,  may  now  venture 


242  DIVINE     HEALING. 

to  come  to  Jesus.  Though  he  feels  the  foul  disease  within  him, 
and  fears  that  it  has  come  to  its  worst,  yet  may  he  be  emboldened 
to  approach  to  Him  who  can  at  once  make  him  clean.  If  you  feel 
yourself  to  be  a  mass  of  loathsomeness  and  corruption,  or,  worse 
still,  hardened  and  insensible  in  conscience,  yet  come  to  Jesus  for 
healing.  Even  though  you  are  truly  described  in  our  hymn  as 
"self-abhorred,"  yet  come  to  Him,  who  will  not  abhor  you.  Come 
at  once,  saying,  "Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean." 
Let  desperate  cases  come :  let  hopeless  cases  come.  I  am  imploring 
the  Lord  to  let  it  be  so.  O  my  brethren  in  the  Lord,  I  entreat  you, 
plead  with  me! 

Next,  note  with  regard  to  this  man,  that  others  gave  him  up 
as  hopeless.  Persons  hurried  past  him  if  he  stood  near  the  city 
gate.  He  was  bound  himself  to  warn  them  off  by  crying,  "Un- 
clean, unclean."  To  him  the  sweets  of  friendship  and  all  the 
comforts  of  domestic  life  were  unknown :  he  was  a  cast-off  and  a 
castaway.  The  rulers  of  his  people  looked  upon  him,  and  pro- 
nounced him  unclean,  and  therefore  he  was  banished  from  among 
men.  Do  your  relatives  shun  you  ?  Do  people  in  decent  society 
avoid  you?  Oh,  that  you  had  grace  and  faith,  to  come  to  Jesus 
just  as  you  are,  and  fall  at  His  feet  and  worship  Him;  for,  rest 
assured.  He  can  make  you  clean,  and  give  you  a  name  and  a  plac^ 
among  His  people.  The  hopeless  are  the  very  people  that  Jesus 
loves  to  save. 

No  one  could  or  zvoiild  take  him  to  Jesus.  He  was  too  foul 
to  be  touched,  too  far  gone  to  be  the  subject  of  hope.  Here  and 
there  we  meet  with  persons  who  have  so  often  disappointed  their 
friends,  that  it  is  small  wonder  that  they  now  keep  them  at  a 
distance.  Even  an  affectionate  mother  has  said,  "We  have  tried 
him  many  times,  sir,  but  it  is  of  no  use.  We  cannot  help  him  any 
more,  for  he  has  drained  the  family."  The  father  almost  prays  to 
forget  the  prodigal,  and  the  elder  brother  wishes  never  to  see  him 
again.  It  is  a  hard  case  when  it  comes  to  that :  but  such  hard  cases 
there  are.  The  world  has  in  it  men  of  whom  society  is  sick.  The 
profligate  has  been  to  this  charitable  person,  and  to  the  other 
benevolent  individual,  until  everyone  is  weary  of  the  ne'er-do-well, 
and  no  one  feels  that  he  could  associate  with  him  without  becom- 
ing himself  suspected  of  vice.  By  common  consent  he  is  judged 
to  be  unfit  for  a  reformatory,  but  well  worthy  of  a  prison.  No  one 
reasons  with  him,  entreats  him,  or  prays  for  him.  He  floats  over 
the  ocean  of  life  as  an  abandoned  wreck.  He  has  turned  infidel 
lately,  and  even  his  loving  sister,  who  used  to  plead  with  him 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  243 

with  tears  in  her  eyes,  now  shudders  when  he  comes  near,  because 
his  language  has  grown  so  sarcastic  and  blasphemous  that  the  dear 
girl  cannot  bear  it.  Now  that  no  man  careth  for  your  soul,  how 
earnestly  I  wish  that  you  would  care  for  it  yourself !  Oh,  that  you 
would  form  the  singular  and  saving  resolve  that  you  will  go  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  on  your  own  account,  and  so  frustrate  all  the  evil 
prophecies  which  have  been  uttered  toncerning  you !  Why  will 
you  perish  ?  Poor  soul !  why  will  you  die  ?  I  pray  from  the 
bottom  of  my  soul  that  he  or  she  may  now,  with  fixed  determina- 
tion, come  to  Jesus.  O  ye  angels,  may  ye  now  have  cause  to  cry 
out  again,  "Behold,  there  came  a  leper  and  worshipped  Him!" 
There  is  one  hand  which  would  lead  you  to  Jesus — I  stretch  it  out 
to  you  this  morning.  There  is  yet  one  heart  that  would  plead 
with  you  to  seek  salvation ;  and  if^  there  be  not  another  in  the 
world,  yet  come  along  with  you,  come  just  as  you  are,  and  show 
your  misery  to  the  Lord  of  mercy.  Men  have  written  out  your 
death-warrant ;  but  the  Lord  Jesus  has  not  signed  it,  and  therefore 
it  cannot  be  executed.  They  call  you  a  castaway;  but  the  Lord 
gathereth  together  the  outcasts  of  Israel.  His  long-suffering  in 
sparing  your  life  means  your  salvation. 

"While  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn. 
The  vilest  sinner  may  return." 

Come,  then,  with  all  your  sin  about  you,  repent  of  your  trans- 
gressions, and  believe  in  Jesus,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean. 

Again,  this  man  had  no  invitation.  Our  Lord  had  not  called 
him;  he  had  never  said,  "Come,  ye  lepers;  come,  and  be  healed." 
There  was  nobody  to  command  or  persuade  him  to  come,  nobody 
to  cheer  him  in  coming,  much  less  any  to  compel  him  to  come  in. 
Of  himself,  constrained  by  a  divine  impulse  unknown  to  anybody 
else,  this  leper  resolved  to  come,  and  found  himself  welcome, 
though  he  had  not  been  expressly  bidden.  To  you,  my  dear 
readers,  I  cannot  say  that  you  have  no  invitation ;  for  we  are 
always  crying  to  you,  Come,  ye  weary  and  heavy  laden.  Come, 
for  Jesus  calls.  "The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come.  Whosoever 
will,  let  him  come,  and  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  I  implore 
you  to  come  to  Jesus  even  as  this  leper  came,  and  I  pray  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  make  my  entreaties  effectual  with  you. 

This  leper  was  bold  in  coming  to  Jesus,  because,  having  nobody 
to  encourage  him,  he  must  have  felt  himself  abashed  as  a  lone  man 
in  the  midst  of  the  multitude.    Well  he  might,  for  he  had  no  right 


244  DIVINE     HEALING. 

to  be  there.  "Here  am  I,  a  stranger  to  everybody ;  nobody 
knows  me,  and  if  they  did,  they  would  not  associate  with  me !  I 
am  out  of  place  among  the  people  of  God."  Are  you  laboring 
under  an  awful  sense  of  sin?  Are  you  bowed  down  under  your 
own  unworthiness ?  Do  you  feel  as  one  lost  in  a  crowd?  The 
crowd  being  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable ;  but  the  leper's 
coming  to  Jesus  was  a  very  notable  fact,  a  scene  worth  looking  at. 
Hence  we  see  the  word,  "Behold  !"  He  is  coming !  Yes,  he  dares 
to  come.  The  crowd  make  way,  and  the  leper  falls  at  Jesus'  feet 
and  worships  Him,  saying,  "Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make 
me  clean,"  Glory  be  to  God,  the  leper  is  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  where 
infinite  love  and  power  are  bending  over  him ! 

As  a  reivard  to  the  man's  faith,  our  Lord  gave  a  cure ;  and,  to 
increase  the  wonder,  an  immediate  cure.  "Immediately  his  leprosy 
was  cleansed."  How  so  great  a  change  could  be  wrought  we 
cannot  tell.  To  dissect  a  miracle  is  absurd.  Every  part  of  the 
body  had  been  long  out  of  order,  certain  secretions  had  been 
poisoned,  and  certain  vessels  destroyed ;  and  yet  that  one  com- 
mand, "Be  thou  clean,"  restored  the  leper's  ruined  frame,  there 
and  then.  He  that  created  can  restore.  Can  God  turn  a  sinner 
into  a  saint  in  a  moment  ?  He  can.  Niagara  comes  crashing  down 
from  the  precipice  of  rock  ;  could  omnipotence  reverse  those  floods, 
and  make  them  leap  upwards?  God  can  do  all  things.  In  the 
moral  world  He  is  as  mighty  as  in  the  outer  universe.  The  heart 
is  hard  as  adamant,  or  as  the  lower  millstone ;  can  He  make  it 
soft?  Yes,  in  a  moment  He  can  make  it  tender  as  bleeding  flesh. 
Believest  thou  this  ?  If  so,  submit  thyself  to  the  divine  energy,  and 
ask  that  this  be  done  unto  thee.  Only  believe,  without  any  sort  of 
doubt,  that  Jesus  is  the  incarnate  God,  and  therefore  has  all  power 
over  human  nature  to  pardon  and  to  cleanse.  Jesus  can  save  thee, 
though  thou  stand  between  the  open  jaws  of  hell.  Jesus  can  save 
thee,  though  thou  be  foulness  itself,  though  lying  asoak  so  long  in 
the  filthy  lye  of  lust  and  unbelief.  He  can  with  a  word  make  thee 
whiter  than  snow.  Believest  thou  this  ?  If  thou  believest  this,  I 
say,  test  it  by  submitting  thyself  to  Jesus,  that  He  may  be  a  Savior 
to  thee.     He  will  say,  "I  will :  be  thou  clean." 

THE  POWER   OF   HEALING   IN   JESUS. 

The  mighty  power  by  which  Jesus  did  all  His  works  in  His 
earthly  life  and  ministry,  healing  the  sick,  and  casting  out  devils. 
was  by  the  indwelling  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     Without  this 


MIXD     AND     FAITH     CUKE.  245 

power  He  of  Himself  could  have  done  nothing  in  His  great  work 
of  redemption.  The  Word  of  God  gives  us  abundant  light  upon 
this  subject.  It  teaches  us  the  utter  dependence  upon  God  for 
all  power  to  accomplish  His  holy  will  and  work.  "And  Jesus, 
when  He  was  baptized,  went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water ;  and 
lo!  the  heavens  were  opened  unto  Him,  and  He  saw  the  spirit 
of  God  descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon  Him." — Matt. 
3  :16.  "And  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  returned  from 
Jordan,  and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness.  And  Jesus 
returned  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  into  Galilee ;  and  there  went  out 
a  fame  of  Him  through  all  the  region  round  about." — Luke  4:1, 
14.  "  And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues, and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  and  healing  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people. 
And  His  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria ;  and  they  brought  unto 
Him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and  tor- 
ments, and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those 
which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy ;  and  He  healed 
them." — Matt.  4 :23,  24.  "  And  He  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he 
had  been  brought  up :  and,  as  His  custom  was,  he  went  into  the 
synagogue  on.  the  Sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read.  And 
there  was  delivered  unto  Him  the  book  of  the  prophet  Esaias.  And 
when  He  had  opened  the  book.  He  found  the  place  where  it  was 
written,  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  Me,  because  He  hath 
anointed  Me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor ;  He  hath  sent  Me  to 
heal  the  broken  hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are 
bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  And  He  began 
to  say  unto  them.  This  day  is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears." 
— Luke  4:16-19,  21.  "But  if  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  then  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you." — Matt.  12  :28. 
"The  word  which  God  sent  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  preaching 
peace  by  Jesus  Christ:  (He  is  Lord  of  all:)  that  word,  I  say,  ye 
know ;  which  was  published  throughout  all  Judea,  and  began  from 
Galilee,  after  the  baptism  which  John  preached ;  how  God 
anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  power.  Who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing  all  that 
were  oppressed  of  the  Devil;  for  God  was  with  Him." — Acts 
10:36-38. 

It  is  as  necessarily  spiritual  as  the  divine  birth.  Jesus  said  to 
Nicodemus,  "That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.  The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but 


246  DI  VI  y  E     HEALING. 

canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth ;  so  is  every 
one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit."  A  visible  and  physical  effect  is  pro- 
duced by  the  invisible  and  spiritual  power  of  God.  To  be  "born 
again"  is  the  divine  touch  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  soul  who  meets 
the  simple  conditions  of  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  quickening  into,  divine  life  the  spirit  that 
was  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  This,  with  the  subsequent  ex- 
perience of  sanctification,  may  be  scripturally  termed  divine  heal- 
ing of  the  soul. 

Divine  healing  of  the  body  is  also  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
which,  by  a  definite  act  of  faith  on  our  part,  operates  through 
the  spiritual  life,  reaching  out  into  the  physical,  affecting  every 
fibre  and  tissue,  and  quickening  into  life  and  health  that  part  which 
has  been  held  under  the  cruel  power  of  disease.  No  experience  of 
this  kind  can  be  realized  in  the  physical,  without  a  corresponding 
touch  of  the  spiritual  life.  The  touch  to  the  body  is  the  overflow 
of  the  inwrought  power  of  the  Spirit  in  the  soul.  The  eft'ects  arc 
realized  in  the  natural  or  material  body,  but  the  great  cause  is 
invested  in  the  supernatural  and  divine,  practically  demonstrating 
in  the  physical  realm,  the  same  as  in  the  spiritual,  the  application 
of  the  law  of  life,  in  the  glorious  deliverance  from  the  bondage 
of  the  law  of  sin  and  death.  "For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." — 
Rom.  8  :2.  These  two  laws  are  diametrically  opposite  and  both 
spiritual.  The  one  has  been  enacted  by  God  through  our  Savior 
and  Healer  Jesus  Christ ;  the  other  by  Satan.  The  executive  of 
the  law  of  life  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  executive  of  the  law  of  sin 
and  death  is  Satan  and  his  spirits. 

The  word  of  God  teaches  us  that  Satan  is  the  afflicter  and 
author  of  disease ;  therefore  disease  is  the  effect  of  a  spiritual 
cause,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  "So  went  forth  Satan  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  smote  Job  with  sore  boils  from  the 
sole  of  his  foot  unto  his  crown." — Job  2  :7.  "Then  was  brought 
unto  Him  one  possessed  with  a  devil,  blind,  and  dumb :  and  He 
healed  him,  insomuch  that  the  blind  and  dumb  both  spake  and 
saw." — Matt.  12  :22.  "And  certain  women,  which  had  been  healed 
of  evil  spirits  and  infirmities,  Mary,  called  Magdalene,  out  of 
whom  went  seven  devils." — Luke  8:2.  "And,  behold,  there  was 
a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years,  and  was 
bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  life  up  herself.  And  when 
Jesus  saw  her.  He  called  her  to  Him,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman, 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  247 

thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity.  .  .  .  And  ought  not  this 
woman,  being  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  hath  bound, 
lo,  these  eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the  Sabbath 
day?" — Luke  13:11,  12,  16.  "Healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of 
the  Devil ;  for  God  was  with  Him."— Acts  10  :38. 

Satan  is  the  author  and  source  of  sin  and  disease.  God  is  the 
author  and  source  of  salvation  and  healing.  It  is  therefore  both 
scriptural  and  logical  that  divine  healing  is  spiritual  and  super- 
natural, and  effected  only  by  the  power  of  God  according  to  the 
law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus. 

THE  POWER  OF  HEALING  IN  GOD's  PEOPLE. 

The  Holy  Spirit  being  the  power  of  healing  in  Jesus,  we  can 
plainly  see  that  this  same  source  is  the  power  of  healing  in  the 
people  of  God  through  His  Holy  Spirit  dispensation.  In  the  res- 
urrection commission  Jesus  commanded  His  disciples  to  go  to 
Jerusalem  and  wait  for  the  endowment  of  power  which  He  had 
promised  should  be  their  possession,  comforter,  and  guide,  after 
He  himself  should  be  personally  taken  away  from  them.  This  is 
the  Holy  Spirit  who  was  to  work  in  them  and  through  them,  that 
which  was  wrought  through  Jesus  in  His  ministry.  *'And  I  will 
pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that 
He  may  abide  with  you  forever ;  even  the  Spirit  of  truth ;  whom 
the  woVld  cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knoweth 
Him ;  but  ye  know  Him ;  for  He  dwelleth  with  you  and  shall  be 
with  you." — Jno.  14:16,  17.  "Howbeit,  when  He,  the  Spirit  of 
Truth,  is  come.  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth :  for  He  shall  not 
speak  of  Himself;  but  whatsoever  He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He 
speak :  and  He  will  show  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify 
Me :  for  He  shall  receive  of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you." — 
Jno.  16  :13,  14.  "But  ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  come  upon  you :  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both 
in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth." — Acts  1 :8. 

"And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. — Acts  2:4 
"And  we  are  His  witnesses  of  these  things  ;  and  so  is  also  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  Him." — Acts  5  :32. 
"And  by  the  hands  of  the  apostles  were  many  signs  and  wonders 
wrought  among  the  people.  Insomuch  that  they  brought  forth 
the  sick  into  the  streets  and  laid  them  on  beds  and  couches,  that 


248  DIVINE     HEALING. 

at  least  the  shadow  of  Peter  passing  by  might  overshadow 
some  of  them.  There  came  also  a  multitude  out  of  the  cities  round 
about  unto  Jerusalem,  bringing  sick  folks  and  them  which  were 
vexed  with  unclean  spirits:  and  they  were  healed  every  one." — 
Acts  5  :12,  15,  16.  "And  Stephen,  full  of  faith  and  power,  did 
great  wonders,  and  miracles  among  the. people." — Acts  (5:8.  God 
also  bearing  them  witness,  both  with  signs  and  wonders,  and  with 
divers  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  His  own 
will." — Heb.  2  :4.  "For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  any  of  those 
things  which  Christ  hath  not  wrought  by  me,  to  make  the  Gentiles 
obedient,  by  word  and  deed,  through  mighty  signs  and  wonders, 
by  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God." — Rom.  15  :18,  19. 

These  and  other  references  of  scripture  teach  us  that  it  was  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  wrought  all  the  miracles  and  healings  in  the  l;fe 
and  ministry  of  the  apostles,  both  individually  and  intercessory.  It 
was  God  in  them.  All  their  efforts  would  have  been  fuiitless  of 
these  glorious  manifestations  without  this  heaveni)  endowment  of 
power.  They  were  the  empty  and  clean  channels  through  whom 
the  Holy  Ghost  was  conveyed  to  all  about  them,  v/ho  carne  into 
the  requirements  of  God.  Nothing  can  be  found  in  the  word  of 
God  where  these  conditions  were  to  be  altered  in  the  ministration  of 
these  blessings  throughout  the  Holy  Spirit  dispensation.  It  is  the 
blessed  privilege  of  every  true  and  humble  minister  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  to  possess  this  same  power.  Yea,  more ;  no  one  should 
dare  undertake  to  preach  the  gospel  v/ithout  the  endowment *of  this 
power.  The  command  to  the  disciples  is  equally  as  binding  upon 
every  disciple  of  Jesus  today,  whether  a  professed  minister  or  not. 
"Tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power 
from  on  high." — Luke  24:49.  With  this  heavenly  endowment 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  each  one  of  the  members  of  the  body  of  Christ 
shall  be  able  to  be  a  blessing  and  a  minister  of  comfort  and  joy  to 
those  who  are  in  sorrow,  suffering  and  affliction.  "Who  com- 
forteth  us  in  all  our  tribulation,  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort 
them  which  are  in  trouble,  by  the  comfort  wherewith  we  ourselves 
are  comforted  of  God." — 2  Cor.  1 :4. 

THE  GIFTS   OF  HEALING. 

Among  the  nine  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  mentioned  in  1  Cor. 
12  :8  :10,  we  find  the  gifts  of  healing.  All  these  spiritual  gifts  are 
spoken  of  as  a  permanent  endowment  of  the  Spirit  in  the  church. 


M  I  \  D     A  X  D     FAITH     V  V  K  E  .  249 

Some  would  refer  to  1  Cor.l3  :8  to  sustain  an  argument  against  this 
permanent  endowment  for  the  duration  of  the  gospel  dispensation. 
We  will  quote  this  verse  and  see  that  it  is  no  foundation  whatever 
for  such  an  argument.  "Charity  never  faileth :  but  whether  there 
be  prophecies,  they  shall  fail;  whether  there  be  tongues,  they  shall 
cease;  whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall  vanish  away."  The 
apostle  simply  teaches  us  here  that  charity  (love)  is  to  continue 
not  only  through  this  life,  but  forever ;  while  these  gifts  referred 
to  in  the  previous  chapter  are  only  for  this  life,  and  shall  cease 
when  their  necessity  shall  have  an  end ;  namely,  when  this  gospel 
day,  and  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  shall  have  reached  its  close, 
and  the  church  shall  have  been  translated  to  be  forever  with  the 
Lord. 

So  long  as  the  church  of  God  is.  here  upon  earth  and  in  her 
normal  condition,  she  will  be  in  possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  wherever  the  Holy  Spirit  exists,  He  will  manifest  Himself 
in  the  church  to  the  edification  of  the  same.  This  is  all  very  sim- 
ple, and  easily  comprehended  by  all  who  are  filled  with  the  Spirit. 
All  who  are  living  in  this  blessed  state  know  that  these  gifts  are 
manifest,  and  God  is  glorified  thereby.  The  church,  which  is 
the  body  of  Christ,  does  not  yet  as  fully  demonstrate  these  things 
as  she  will  in  the  future,  by  advancing  into  greater  spiritual 
power,  but  we  do  not  thank  and  praise  God  for  what  He  is  now  do  - 
ing  among  His  obedient  people. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  Himself  a  gift.  Luke  11:13;  Jno.  7:39; 
14  :1G,  2G  ;  15  -26  ;  16  :18  ;  Acts  2  :28  and  5  :32.  He  is  Christ's  en- 
dowment to  His  church,  and  ever  seeks  to  honor  Him.  He  gives 
gifts  to  the  church,  "dividing  to  every  man  severally  as  He  will." 
It  is  evident  that  it  is  not  the  design  of  the  Spirit  that  one  mem- 
ber of  the  body  of  Christ  should  possess  all  of  these  gifts.  They 
are  distributed  among  the  various  members,  who  are  able  thereby 
to  glorify  God  and  edify  the  church,  and  yet  it  is  the  privilege 
of  every  member  of  Christ  to  be  so  filled  with  the  Spirit  that  where 
these  manifestations  are  a  necessity  for  the  glory  of  God,  he  can 
use  any  one  as  a  channel  of  blessing  in  this  respect. 

Now  every  child  of  God  should  feel  it  a  sacred  privilege  to 
always  be  ready  to  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  pray  for  them. 
Jesus  said,  "  These  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe ;  they 
shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover."  They  that 
believe  have  a  right  to  do  this  whenever  the  emergency  may  re- 
quire, regardless  of  any  permanent  endowment  of  the  gifts  of 


250  DIV  I  N  E     UEALl  N  G  . 

healing.  Every  divinely  ordained  elder  should,  and  does,  live  m 
the  constant  position  with  God,  where  he  can  at  any  moment,  day 
or  night,  be  ready  in  faith  to  respond  to  the  request  of  any  sick 
one  who  may  be  led  to  '*  call  for  the  elders  "  according  to  James 
5:14. 

The  power  and  faith  that  bring  the  healing,  or  through  which 
the  healing  may  be  wrought,  will  be  given  to  the  individual  or 
intercessor,  or  both,  where  the  conditions  are  fully  met.  This 
will  be  given  for  the  time  then  present,  to  meet  the  demand  of 
the  hour,  while  the  permanent  endowment  of  the  gifts  of  healing 
would  seem  to  be  possessed  by  certain  ones  whom  the  Holy  Spirit 
chooses  and  qualifies  to  minister  to  the  sick  and  suffering,  impart- 
ing through  the  chosen  instrumentality,  to  those  in  need,  the 
various  helps  necessary  to  their  healing.  These  gifts,  like  all  of 
the  rest  spoken  of  in  this  chapter,  are  a  great  means  of  blessing 
to  all  who  come  within  the  scope  of  their  power ;  and  when  the 
church  again  reaches  the  apostolic  plane,  we  shall  see  the  true 
primitive  type  of  divine  healing,  and  its  accompanying  blessings 
and  results.  May  God  hasten  the  day,  which  is  near,  when  the 
church  will  be  clothed  with  all  her  pentecostal  power  and 
authority. 

THE   GRACE   OF    HEALING. 

What  we  mean  by  this  term  is  the  universal  and  equal  privi- 
lege of  every  child  of  God,  through  the  redemption  of  Christ,  to 
be  healed,  manifested  to  us  by  divine  favor  when  He  "Himself 
took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses."  The  gifts  of  heal- 
ing are  designed  for  intercessory  use  in  the  church;  and  are  not 
to  be  possessed  by  all,  but  the  grace  of  healing  is  our  individual 
inheritance  and  redemption  right.  Every  afflicted  child  of  God 
should  not  cease  waiting  upon  Him  in  the  constant  exercise  of 
faith,  seeking  day  and  night  until  perfect  healing  is  found.  Where 
the  individual  faith  fails  to  reach  the  desired  blessing,  there  should 
be  the  call  for  help,  enlisting  every  intercessory  means  provided 
by  the  Holp  Spirit  in  the  church.  This  is  what  the  gifts  are  for, 
They  are  a  means  to  an  end,  the  gifts  to  secure  the  grace. 

The  indwelling  Holy  Spirit  is  ever  ready  to  take  exclusive 
control  of  every  portion  of  this  earthly  temple.  Our  bodies  arc 
His  dwelling  place.  He  is  the  very  Christ-life  which  dwells 
within  His  people.     Christ  the  vine,  we  the  branches.    The  vine- 


MIND     AND     FAITH     C  IR  E  .  251 

life  must  flow  through  the  branches ;  so  the  Hfe  of  Christ  must 
flow  through  us.  ''  Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  the  mem- 
bers of  Christ  ?  What  ?  know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you?" — 1  Cor.  6:15,  19.  "  For  we 
which  live  are  always  delivered  unto  death  for  Jesus'  sake,  that 
the  life  also  of  Jesus  might  be  made  manifest  in  our  mortal 
flesh."— 2  Cor.  4:11. 

*'But  if  the  spirit  of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead 
dwell  in  you,  He  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall 
also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in 
you." — Rom.  8  :11.  This  verse  is  generally  interpreted  to  have 
reference  to  the  resurrection  of  our  bodies  from  the  grave,  but 
we  believe  there  is  a  present  tense  experience  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
explained  here,  the  experience  of  quickening  into  health  our 
mortal  and  perishable  bodies,  when  the  natural  forces  have  given 
way  under  the  power  of  disease.  It  is  upon  the  condition  of  the 
Spirit  dwelling  in  us,  that  our  bodies  are  to  be  quickened.  It  is 
the  power  of  the  law  of  life  which  the  apostle  mentions  in  verse 
two,  which  makes  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death.  The 
resurrection  is  explained  further  on  in  the  chapter.  The  in- 
dwelling possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  all  His  blessed  com- 
fort to  spirit,  soul  and  body  is  but  the  earnest  of  the  resurrection 
life  which  shall  be  realized  when  this  mortal  shall  put  on  im- 
mortality; but  while  we  are  clothed  with  this  mortal  body,  let 
us  ever  abide  in  Christ  where  the  Holy  Spirit  may  abide  in  us,  and 
by  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  living  promises  of  the  living 
Christ,  keep  within  the  quickening  touch  of  His  living  power. 

THE    MYSTERY   OF   INIQUITY. 

As  the  light  of  the  gospel  increases  there  will  consequently  be  a 
corresponding  increase  of  the  transformed  light  of  the  Devil,  that 
the  true  light  might  be  kept  hid  from  those  who  believe  not  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  On  the  authority  of  the  word  of  God  we  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  Satan  is  transformed  into  an  angel  of 
light.  2  Cor.  11 :14.  No  matter  what  light  God  shines  forth  in 
His  church,  there  will  first  be  a  mustering  out  of  all  the  com.- 
bined  powers  of  darkness  to  oppose  and  hinder  it.  When  this 
attempt  has  failed,  then  there  is  a  great  change  in  the  execution 
of  the  deception.  The  enemy  transforms  himself  into  the  very 
light  he  has  been  trying  to  destroy.     His  opposition  to  the  truth  is 


252  D  I  T  I  A  E     H  E  A  L  I  X  G. 

just  as  great,  but  it  must  now  appear  to  have  ceased  altogether, 
that  the  deception  may  be  successful.  To  those  who  are  en- 
lightened by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  word  of  God,  the  cunning 
craftiness  of  the  Devil  is  not  concealed. 

All  through  the  past  centuries  in  the  history  of  the  church 
of  God  the  workings  of  this  mystery  of  iniquity  have  been  plainly 
discernible.  From  Eden  to  this  present  time  he  has  been  at  his 
business  of  deception,  and  will  continue  to  be  nothing  but  the 
deceiver  until  his  final  doom.  Never  in  the  history  of  mankind 
has  there  been  so  much  deception  as  at  the  present  time.  While 
the  light  of  the  pure  gospel  is  increasing,  the  world  is  flooded 
with  multiplied  doctrines  of  error  running  parallel  with  the  truth, 
to  such  an  extent  that  only  the  willing  and  obedient  of  the  people 
of  God  can  keep  clear  from  the  deceptions. 

How  true  in  these  last  days  are  the  words  of  Jesus :  "  For 
there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  show 
great  signs  and  wonders ;  insomuch  that,  if  it  were  possible,  they 
shall  deceive  the  very  elect." — Matt.  24  :2L 

This  was  never  more  true  than  it  is  at  the  present  time.  There 
is  nothing  in  this  world  that  strikes  more  effectual  death  blows 
to  the  kingdom  of  darkness  than  the  doctrine  of  divine  healing. 
It  means  a  life  of  faith  in  the  church  of  God  that  otherwise  could 
not  exist,  which  is  an  irresistable  power  against  the  Devil,  which, 
if  every  child  of  God  possessed,  it  would  soon  put  an  eternal 
quietus  to  much  of  his  infernal  deception.  The  counterfeits  of 
divine  healing  are  numerous.  From  the  very  first,  in  these  modern 
times,  that  God  began  to  show  to  His  people  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Healer,  there  has  been  born  from  the  regions  of  darkness^ 
one  after  another,  a  variety  of  doctrines  of  healing,  all  of  which 
may  be  clearly  discerned,  if  weighed  in  the  balance  of  God's  holy 
word  and  spirit. 

Not  only  has  the  enemy  invented  new  doctrines,  but  to  more 
securely  hold  his  victims,  and  have  a  deception  to  suit  every  class 
of  humanity,  he  has  cunningly  adopted  deceptions  of  ancient 
date  and  brought  them  down  to  the  present  time.  It  is  thought 
by  some  that  idolatry  and  superstition  are  decreasing,  but  this 
is  a  mistake.  There  is  as  much  of  it  to-day  as  there  ever  has  been, 
only  the  form  of  it  has  gone  through  many  changes  in  order  that 
the  deception  may  continue.  A  recent  account  in  the  Globe-Dem- 
ocrat, under  the  title,  "  Cured  by  Faith,''  publishes  a  case  of  a 
Catholic  boy  in  New  York  who  had  been  paralyzed  for  three  years 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  253 

and  was  instantly  healed  while  looking  upon  a  piece  of  the  (sup- 
posed) wrist  bone  of  St.  Anne,  the  grandmother  of  Jesus,  while 
the  mother  of  the  boy  was  praying  to  this  departed  saint.  The 
relic  was  sent  to  this  country  a  few  years  ago  by  Pope  Leo  XIII, 
and  is  kept  in  one  of  the  Catholic  churches  in  New  York.  The 
old  superstition  of  "relic  worship"  is  still  in  existence. 

While  praying  to  the  departed  saints  is  in  itself  a  Christ-dis- 
honoring and  unscriptural  practice,  the  abominable  and  heathen- 
ish relic-worship  is  also  a  deception  of  the  Devil.  Imagine  the 
credulity  of  that  mother  and  child  standing  before  a  piece  of  bone, 
in  this  so-called  enlightened  land,  and  invoking  healing.  What 
an  easy  prey  to  the  deceptions  of  the  Devil !  It  may  be  question- 
able that  the  child  was  healed,  but  admitting  that  the  healing  was 
a  fact  but  proves  the  truthfulness  of  the  miraculous  power  of 
Satan ;  for  all  who  are  in  the  light  of  the  gospel  can  readily  see 
that  such  gross  superstition  can  only  originate  in  the  Devil  himself. 

We  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that,  to  be  consistent  with  His  holy 
word  and  the  plan  of  redemption  through  Jesus  Christ,  God 
cannot  heal  through  such  channels  of  superstition.  In  the  name 
of  Jesus,  through  faith  in  His  name,  is  the  only  promise  of  the 
benefits  of  divine  healing.  Satan  would  have  us  pray  to  any- 
thing and  anybody  but  God,  in  the  name  of  anything  and  anybody 
but  Jesus  Christ ;  but  all  such  prayers  are  but  in  vain,  and  but 
open  up  the  avenues  of  the  soul  to  be  filled  with  the  awful  decep- 
tions of  darkness. 

While  the  superstitions  of  Rome  would  impose  the  belief  in 
more  than  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  more  subtle  forms  of 
error  in  Spiritualism,  Christian  and  mental  science,  etc.,  ignore 
His  divinity.  This  may  be  denied,  but  in  order  to  prove  the  state- 
ment, it  will  only  be  necessary  to  touch  upon  the  redemption 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  all  these  last  named  advocates  of 
healing  will  be  up  in  arms. 

Now  it  matters  not  how  souls  are  deceived,  only  so  they  accept 
something  else,  more  or  less  than  Christ.  This  gives  the  enemv 
all  the  opportunity  he  needs  to  introduce  any  form  of  error  best 
adapted  to  the  case.  Humanity  to-day  is  famishing  under  the 
power  of  deception.  The  father  of  lies  has  not  spared  his  resources 
to  keep  himself  concealed  in  his  transformed  light,  but  the  bright- 
ness of  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  reveals  the  mystery 
of  iniquity  to  every  obedient  soul.  God  has  given  us  His  word, 
which  is  the  lamp  to  our  feet  and  the  light  to  our  path.     If  we 


254  D  I  y  I  \  E     H  E  ALI  N  0  . 

but  earnestly  seek  the  way  of  salvation  and  healing,  we  shall 
find  it  to  the  joy  of  our  hearts.  Jesus  says,  '*  I  am  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life,"  and  while  deceptions  are  great,  we  have  a 
blessed  security  of  life  and  health  in  Him.  As  the  people  of  God 
learn  more  and  more  of  the  Christ-life,  God  will  the  more  mani- 
festly stretch  forth  His  hand  to  heal,  and  signs  and  wonders  will 
be  done  by  the  name  of  His  holy  child  Jesus,  and  the  "signs  and 
lying  wonders''  of  the  Devil  exposed. 

It  is  a  question  in  the  minds  of  some  how  it  is  possible  that 
Satan  can  heal.  There  is  abundant  scriptural  evidence  that  he 
has  power  to  perform  many  wonders,  and  work  miracles.  Exo- 
dus, chapters  7  and  8  ;  Matt.  24  :24 ;  2  Thess.  2  :9,  10 ;  Rev.  13  :13, 
14;  Rev.  16:14.  Also,  that  he  is  the  author  of  disease  and  sick- 
ness. Job  2  :7  ;  Mark  9  :25  ;  2  Cor.  12  :7.  It  is  therefore  both 
scriptural  and  logical,  that  the  hand  that  has  power  to  afflict  has 
also  the  power  to  withdraw  his  affliction,  which  he  certainly  will 
do  if  he  can  thereby  deceive,  and  make  believe  that  it  is  God  that 
has  healed.  It  cannot  properly  be  called  healing,  but  yet  it  is 
a  removal  of  the  sickness  or  disease.  It  is  very  evident  that  there 
is  much  of  this  deceptive  work  carried  on  today  among  those  who 
have  not  received  the  love  of  the  truth,  but  have  had  pleasure 
in  unrighteousness.  Let  us  all  keep  very  near  to  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer, and  with  an  obedient  heart  follow  Him  where  He  leads. 
Thus  His  very  life  will  be  manifest  in  our  mortal  bodies,  and  we 
shall  also  know  the  truth,  which  He  has  promised  shall  make  us, 
not  only  free,  but  free  indeed.    Jno.  8  :32-36. 

QUESTIONS  ANSWERED. 

If  healing  is  in  the  atonement,  how  is  it  that  diseases  were 
healed  before  the  atonement  was  made? 

Just  the  same  as  sins  were  forgiven  before  the  atonement  was 
made.  Jesus  was  foreordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world 
to  be  the  Redeemer.  1  Pet.  1 :20  ;  Rev.  13  :8.  Faith  in  Him  se- 
cured the  benefits  of  His  redemption,  to  the  extent  indicated  in 
His  life  and  ministry.  He  had  the  power  to  forgive  sins  and  heal 
diseases,  and  also  had  authority  over  all  the  works  of  the  enemy ; 
but  in  all  this  He  was  only  fulfilling  His  redemption  office,  and 
did  not  complete  it,  was  not  made  a  perfect  Redeemer,  until  He 
was  "delivered  for  our  offenses,  and  was  raised  again  for  our 
justification." 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUKE.  255 

Do  you  understand  that  when  we  are  sanctified,  the  cause  of 
sickness  is  removed? 

In  the  beginning,  if  there  had  been  no  sin,  there  would  have 
been  no  sickness.  Sin  (transgression)  opened  the  door  to  every 
work  of  the  Devil.  "  Sin  entered  into  the  world  and  death  by 
sin."  Death,  "dying  thou  shalt  die,"  came  with  sin.  Dying 
(sickness).     Die  (death). 

Individually  we,  by  a  definite  act  of  faith  in  the  atonement  of 
the  Redeemer,  received  deliverance  from  all  the  works  of  the 
Devil;  but  not  all  in  one  single  application.  A  sinner  repents 
and  believes  and  becomes  justified.  The  believer  consecrates  and 
believes  and  becomes  sanctified. 

We  may  be  sanctified  and  not  have  known  that  healing  is 
for  us,  and  therefore  be  sanctified  and  be  sick  and  bound  by  the 
chains  of  disease,  just  as  a  person  may  be  a  child  of  God  and  not 
have  known  that  he  could  be  sanctified.  As  soon  as  he  receives  the 
fight  he  meets  the  conditions  and  appropriates  the  gifts  either  for 
sanctification  or  healing  or  both.  Individually  we  may  be  sick 
without  having  committed  sin.  Sickness  entered  into  the  world  be- 
cause of  sin  (the  transgression  of  Adam),  and  because  it  is  in 
the  world  it  may  fasten  upon  our  bodies,  even  upon  those  ''that 
have  not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression" ; 
but,  thank  God,  as  with  sin,  we  can  be  made  free  through  faith 
in  the  Redeemer.  There  are  many  instances  of  sickness  caused 
directly  by  sin,  and  in  such  cases  repentance  precedes  healing. 
There  is  no  reason  why  those  out  in  the  light  of  sanctification 
and  divine  healing  should  not  be  able  to  be  kept  from  sickness 
caused  by  sin ;  and  may  God  grant  the  faith  to  claim  perfect  health 
under  all  circumstances,  so  that  the  "  inhabitant  shall  no  more 
say,  I  am  sick."  We  may  transgress  the  laws  of  health,  which 
are  not  an  imputed  sin  against  us,  and  yet  through  that,  there  may 
be  an  attack  of  sickness,  but  in  any  case  we  have  the  precious 
promise  of  the  healing  through  the  prayer  of  faith  ;  ''and  if  he  have 
committed  sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven  him." 

It  is  the  work  of  Satan  to  lead  into  sin,  and  to  bind  with 
disease.  If  he  cannot  do  both,  he  will  be  ready  to  do  either ;  all 
he  wants  is  the  opportunity.  It  is  the  work  of  Jesus  to  undo 
the  works  of  the  Devil.  "He  went  about  doing  good,  and  heal- 
ing all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil" ;  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
He  is  doing  the  same  today.  Hallelujah !  All  He  wants  is  the 
opportunity.  "For  the  law  of  the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus 
hath  made  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." — Rom.  8  :2. 


256  Din y e    h e a l i a  g . 

Why  is  there  provision  made  for  sickness  (Jas.  5:14,  15)  for 
God's  children,  after  they  are  saved  from  sin  ? 

For  the  same  reason  that  there  is  a  provision  made  for  sin; 
viz.,  we  are  hable  to  an  attack  of  sickness  for  reasons  already 
mentioned,  and  God  has  mercifully  provided  for  us  in  such  cases. 

How  could  Epaphroditus  be  sick  after  he  had  received  the  full 
benefit  of  the  atonement  ? 

For  reasons  already  mentioned.  He,  like  many  of  God's  people 
today,  may  have  also  unwisely  overtaxed  his  physical  strength 
in  his  zeal  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  whatever  was  the  reason 
directly,  he  was  nigh  unto  death ;  but  the  record  tells  us  that 
he  did  receive  the  benefit  of  the  atonement  and  was  raised  up. 

When  a  person  has  been  healed  of  one  thing  and  has  not  faith 
to  take  the  Lord  for  the  rest,  what  shall  be  done  ? 

Keep  believing  with  all  your  heart,  and  like  the  father  of  the 
afflicted  child,  say,"  Lord  I  believe,  help  Thou  mine  unbelief."  If 
we  were  to  persevere  in  believing  God  for  our  healing  as  people 
do  who  doctor  sometimes  for  months  and  years,  there  would  be 
greater  results  in  healing.  There  would  be  mighty  developments 
of  faith,  and  God  would  be  glorified. 

We  may  be  very  thankful  that  modern  theology  cannot  change 
the  glorious  gospel,  or  surely  we  would  have  such  perver- 
sions of  the  word  of  God.  The  Great  Physician  has  undertaken 
the  work  of  redemption  from  sin  and  disease,  and  our  part  in 
the  plan  is  to  implicitly  follow  His  directions.  He  will  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  results.  To  take  medicine  when  trusting  Him 
for  healing,  at  once  expresses  a  lack  of  perfect  faith.  Let  us 
take  His  prescription  and  we  shall  never  be  confounded. 

If  physicians  and  medicines  are  to  be  discarded,  what  place  do 
you  assign  to  Luke,  "the  beloved  physician  ?" 

We  do  not  read  anywhere  in  the  history  of  the  church  that 
Luke  practiced  medicine  after  his  calling  into  the  gospel  work. 
He  was  with  Paul  in  much  of  his  missionary  work,  but  we  do 
not  have  any  example  that  he  or  Paul  or  any  of  the  apostles  ever 
administered  medicine  to  the  heathen  in  order  to  win  them  to  the 
gospel.  Luke  was  evidently  with  Paul  at  Troas,  where  the  young 
man  fell  from  the  third  story  window  during  that  all-night  meet 
ing;  also  on  the  island  of  Melita,  where  many  of  the  barbarous 
people  were  healed.    Luke  did  not  have  his  medicine  chest  along. 

Were  missionaries  today  to  go  out  in  the  power  of  the  Hol\' 
Ghost  and  faith,  there  would  be  glorious  results  in  winning  souls. 


M  I  X  D     A  K  D     FAITH     CUR  E  .  2bl 

The  healing  power  of  Christ  instead  of  materia  medica,  would 
have  the  same  attraction  today  as  it  had  in  primitive  times.  .  A 
missionary  to  the  Hebrides  Islands  once  administered  medicine 
to  a  suffering  native.  The  medicine  failed  to  cure,  and  soon  a 
plague  broke  out  among  the  people.  The  superstitious  heathen 
believed  it  came  through  the  missionary's  medicine,  and  concluded 
they  must  make  his  life  pay  the  penalty.  The  poor  missionary 
tried  to  explain,  but  to  no  avail.  The  angry  mob  surrounded  him 
and  clubbed  him  to  death.  How  much  better  the  God-designed 
plan,  to  go  among  the  heathen  as  Paul  did  to  the  father  of  Pub- 
lius.  Speaking  of  Luke  as  "  the  beloved  physician,"  evidently 
originated  from  his  occupation  before  his  calling  to  the  gospel. 

Is  it  wrong  to  give  medicine  when  you  believe  in  divine 
healing? 

There  may  be  instances  in  which  a  person  is  justifiable  in 
administering  medicines,  if  it  is  known  that  the  medicine  will  be 
helpful  in  removing  pain  or  suffering,  when  the  one  to  whom  it  is 
administered  is  not  a  Christian  or  cannot  accept  divine  healing. 

Is  not  God  sometimes  glorified  in  sickness  as  in  health? 

From  a  human  standpoint  this  may  seem  true,  but  scripturally, 
sickness  cannot  glorify  God  any  more  than  can  sin.  God  is  glor- 
ified in  saving  us  from  sin,  and  so  also  is  He  glorified  in  healing 
our  diseases.  When  Lazarus  was  sick,  Jesus  said,  "This  sickness 
is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God 
might  be  glorified  thereby."  He  was  glorified  in  raising  up 
Lazarus  from  the  dead.  He  said  to  Martha  that  if  she  believed, 
she  would  see  the  glory  of  God.  It  was  indeed  a  miracle  that 
brought  much  glory  to  God.  Immediately  following  we  read  that 
the  people  took  branches  of  palm  trees  and  went  forth  to  meet 
Jesus  upon  His  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  and  cried,  "Hosanna, 
blessed  is  the  King  of  Israel,  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,"  and  the  jealous  Pharisees  said  among  themselves,  ''Be- 
hold, the  world  is  gone  after  Him." 

In  the  case  of  the  man  who  was  born  blind,  we  have  another 
illustration  of  the  glory  of  God  in  his  restoration  to  sight.  It 
was  supposed  by  the  disciples  that  either  this  man  or  his  parents 
had  sinned,  because  he  had  been  born  blind,  but  Jesus  taught 
them  that  it  had  been  permitted  of  God  "that  the  works  of  God 
should  be  made  manifest  in  him."  He  also  shows  by  this  blessed 
miracle  what  the  works  of  God  are.  He  said,  "  I  must  work  the 
works  of  Him  that  sent  me."    All  can  see  by  His  life  and  glorious 


258  DIVINE     HEALING. 

ministry  that  God's  works  through  Him  were  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them ;  not  to  afflict  with  disease  and  sickness ;  for 
He  was  anointed  'Svith  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power,  who  went 
about  doing  good  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the 
Devil,  for  God  was  with  Him." — Acts  10:38. 

It  is  the  works  of  the  Devil  to  bind  with  sin  and  sickness,  and 
God  is  never  glorified  in  them.  It  is  the  works  of  God  to  deliver 
from  the  bondage  of  the  Devil's  power,  which  deliverance  is  al- 
ways to  the  glory  of  God.  'Tor  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God 
was  manifested,  that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil." — 
1  Jno.  3  :8. 

If  we  can  live  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health  all  the  time,  how 
can  we  ever  die? 

It  is  supposed,  generally,  that  we  must  be  sick  in  order  to 
die,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  word  of  God  to  justify  such  a 
doctrine.  There  is  nothing  to  prove  that  any  of  the  apostles  died 
with  disease. 

When  God  was  through  with  Moses  on  earth.  He  kissed  his 
life  away,  and  although  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  old,  *'his  eye 
was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated."  Of  the  two  and  one- 
half  millions  of  Israel  whom  God  brought  out  of  Egypt,  ''there 
was  not  one  feeble  person  among  their  tribes."  These  facts  sig- 
nify much  more  perhaps  than  many  of  us  have  paused  to  consider. 
It  being  the  will  of  God  that  His  people  be  kept  from  the  power 
of  disease,  and  end  the  days  of  their  earthly  pilgrimage  in  a 
mature  age,  let  us  live  up  to  our  privilege  in  the  life  of  perfect 
obedience  and  faith,  and  glorify  Him  as  did  those  who  have 
gone  before  us.  This  truth  by  no  means  casts  a  reflection  upon 
those  of  our  fathers  who  passed  away  under  the  power  of  disease. 
Many  had  not  known  the  will  of  God  to  heal.  Many  do  not 
know  of  it  today,  and  are  yet  held  in  the  bondage  of  oppression. 

Man  has  sought  out  many  inventions,  and  for  thousands  of 
years  tried  to  discover  natural  means  by  which  to  heal  diseases; 
yet  in  the  face  of  all  his  boasted  remedies  there  never  was  so 
much  sorrow  and  suffering  under  the  hand  of  disease  as  there 
is  today.  If  there  is  any  earthly  help  by  which  suffering  and 
pain  can  be  alleviated  and  the  poor  groaning  world  benefited  in 
the  least,  every  heart  in  which  there  is  any  sympathy  would  re- 
joice and  thank  God.  If  such  be  the  case  and  man  has  really 
discovered  any  such  natural  means,  it  has  been  but  the  discovery 
of  God's  laws,  which  He  in  His  providence  has  permitted  for 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  259 

the  good  of  fallen  man.  But  from  a  logical  position  the  inventions 
of  man  along  these  lines  are  questionable.  It  is  a  lamentable  fact 
that  where  there  is  one  person  helped  by  human  skill,  there  are 
two  sent  to  their  graves  by  human  ignorance.  Thousands  of  in- 
telligent people  to-day  have  ignored  the  use  of  medicines  and 
drugs  from  a  scientific  standpoint;  but  if  there  is  any  virtue  in 
any  of  them,  and  sinners  and  poor  doubting  professors  will  take 
their  chances  of  being  hurried  to  their  graves  by  swallowing  the 
deadly  poisons  called  medicines,  let  them  have  them.  But  God 
has  provided  a  remedy  for  sickness,  and  His  people  have  a  right 
to  accept  it ;  and  they  dishonor  Him  if  they  reject  it.  All  other 
ground  is  sinking  sand.  Christ  the  Redeemer  is  the  God-given 
remedy,  and  from  the  scriptural  standpoint  it  is  not  within  the 
power  of  man  to  heal  diseases. 

DOES  SICKNESS  COME  FROM  GOD? 

It  may  be  said  that  it  matters  not  what  or  who  it  is  that  sends 
disease  and  sickness  upon  us,  so  long  as  there  is  a  remedy  pre- 
scribed for  it  in  the  word  of  God.  This  would  be  a  logical  manner 
of  reasoning,  were  it  not  profitable,  and  in  many  cases  necessary, 
for  us  to  have  some  degree  of  knowledge  of  this  subject  for  the 
perfect  and  successful  exercise  of  faith  for  healing.  There  are 
many  instances,  doubtless,  where  healing  has  been  obtained  with- 
out such  knowledge ;  but  as  we  grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  His  great  redemption  plan,  we  will 
necessarily  obtain  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the  true  law  of 
cause  and  effect  in  the  realm  of  the  principalities  and  powers, 
with  which  we  have  to  do  in  this  life  of  salvation.  The  word  and 
the  spirit  of  God  are  the  only  sources  of  this  knowledge.  We 
are  not  left  in  darkness  with  reference  to  who  or  what  is  the 
source  of  sin,  and  with  the  same  light  there  is  revealed  to  us 
much  knowledge  of  the  source  of  sickness. 

It  would  be  a  reasonable  conclusion  from  a  human  standpoint, 
that  every  good  thing  that  can  be  a  blessing  to  us  comes  from 
God,  and  every  evil  thing  comes  from  Satan.  This  conclusion  is 
also  well  sustained  by  the  word  of  God ;  but  there  is  a  truth  with 
which  every  true  believer  becomes  acquainted — that  God  can  and 
does  cause  every  evil  thing  from  Satan,  that  would  bring  disaster 
and  destruction  upon  us,  to  work  out  for  our  good  (Rom.  8  :28), 
provided  that  we  love  God  and   constantly  keep  in  the  proper 


260  f^  I  y  I^E     HEALING. 

attitude  toward  Him.  This  explains  how  and  why  some  of  the 
followers  of  Christ  say  that  sickness  has  been  a  blessing  to  them. 
It  is  only  in  the  sense  that  the  circumstance  of  trial  and  helpless- 
ness, and  the  exercise  of  faith  for  deliverance,  have  enabled  the 
believer  to  become  more  humble  and  dependent  upon  God,  and 
thereby  obtain  more  grace.  In  this  manner  every  trial  and  temp- 
tation can  be  turned  into  a  blessing,  and  the  purpose  and  design 
of  the  Devil  thwarted.  But  it  is  unscriptural  to  conclude,  because 
we  find  a  blessing  in  such  experiences,  that  God  is  the  source  of 
the  temptation  or  sickness. 

There  may  be  some  difficulty  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
people  of  God  to  understand  a  few  of  the  Old  Testament  texts, 
from  this  standpoint,  but  it  is  evident  that  when  the  whole  word 
of  God  is  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject,  there  is  a  beautiful 
harmony  in  the  testimony  of  both  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
New  Testament,  and  that  Satan  is  the  very  cause  and  author  of 
sickness  and  disease,  can  be  very  clearly  determined.  In  the 
health  covenant  that  God  made  with  Israel  (Ex.  15:26)  He  says 
that  upon  the  conditions  of  implicit  obedience  to  all  His  com- 
mandments and  statutes,  and  a  diligent  barkening  to  His  voice, 
He  will  put  none  of  the  diseases  upon  them  which  He  brought 
upon  the  Egyptians.  In  the  description  of  the  curses  of  the  law 
(Deut.  28),  God  plainly  instructs  His  people  again  of  the  fact 
that  if  they  will  not  obey  His  voice  He  will  make  their  plagues 
wonderful  and  great,  and  will  bring  all  the  diseases  of  Egypt  upon 
them.  Also  every  sickness  and  plague  that  was  not  written  in 
the  law,  them  He  would  bring  upon  them  until  they  were  de- 
stroyed. 

These  scriptures  are  the  principal  ones  relative  to  this  subject 
that  might  by  themselves  be  interpreted  to  teach  that  God  is  the 
author  of  disease ;  but  the  one  referred  to,  in  which  it  said  that 
He  will  cause  the  disease  to  ascend,  plainly  infers  that  the 
source  of  disease  is  from  beneath.  They  shall  ascend  (not  de- 
scend) upon  them.  It  is  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  whole 
word  of  God  on  this  subject,  to  state  that  the  only  manner  in 
which  God  afflicts  with  disease  is  by  permitting  Satan  to  do  it. 
The  statement  of  the  experience  of  Job  (Job  2  :G,  7)  teaches  this 
truth  plainly.  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Satan,  Behold,  he  is  in 
thine  hand:  but  save  his  life.  So  Satan  went  forth  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  smote  Job  with  sore  boils  from  the  sole 


MIND     A^D     FAITH     CUBE.  261 

of  his  foot  to  his  crown."  It  was  by  divine  permission  that  Satan 
was  allowed  to  place  this  loathsome  disease  upon  Job  from  the 
sole  of  his  feet  to  his  crown.    It  ascended  upon  him. 

The  New  Testament  affords  abundant  evidences  that  Satan 
is  the  direct  author  of  disease,  and  that  Jesus  in  His  redemption 
work  on  earth  operated  in  direct  opposition  to  all  the  works  of  the 
Devil,  of  which  sickness  and  disease  were  a  very  prominent  part. 
In  a  number  of  these  references  evil  spirits  and  diseases  are  in- 
timately associated,  while  others  plainly  state  that  Satan  is  the 
afflicter. 

''  And  His  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria ;  and  they  brought 
unto  Him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and 
torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those 
which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy :  and  He  healed 
them."— Matt.  4 :24. 

"  Then  was  brought  unto  Him  one  possessed  with  a  devil, 
blind  and  dumb :  and  he  healed  him,  insomuch  that  the  blind  and 
dumb  both  spake  and  saw." — Matt  12 :22.  The  circumstance 
with  which  this  reference  is  connected  and  the  answer  that  Jesus 
made  to  the  Pharisees  (verses  22-28)  enables  us  to  see  that  this 
case  of  healing  was  spoken  of  as  casting  out  a  devil.  From  the 
explanation  which  Jesus  gave  in  verse  29  we  can  see  from  the 
whole  transaction  that  Satan  and  his  spirits  are  the  strong  man, 
and  that  sickness  and  disease  are  his  goods.  He  cast  out  the 
evil  spirit,  and  healed  the  man  of  his  diseases.  Evil  spirits  and 
diseases  bear  the  same  relation  to  each  other  as  the  strong  man 
and  his  goods.  Jesus  the  stronger  man  binds  the  strong  man, 
casts  him  out,  and  spoils  his  goods. 

"  When  the  even  was  come  they  brought  unto  Him  many  that 
were  possessed  with  devils :  and  He  cast  out  the  spirits  with  His 
word,  and  healed  all  that  were  sick." — Matt.  8  :16. 

In  Luke  we  read  of  certain  women  who  were  healed  of  evil 
spirits.  The  case  of  the  lunatic  child  (Mark  9:14-27),  which  in 
our  time  would  be  called  epilepsy,  is  a  plain  proof  that  Satan  is 
the  author  of  disease.  ''  Master,  I  have  brought  unto  thee  my 
son,  which  hath  a  dumb  spirit If  Thou  canst  do  any- 
thing, have  compassion  on  us,  and  help  us.  When  Jesus  saw 
that  the  people  came  running  together.  He  rebuked  the  foul  spirit, 
saying  unto  him.  Thou  deaf  and  dumb  spirit,  I  charge  thee,  come 
out  of  him.     And  the  spirit  cried  and  rent  him  sore,  and  came 


262  DIVINE     HEALING. 

out  of  him,  and  he  was  as  one  dead,  insomuch  that  many  said, 
He  is  dead.  But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  Hfted  him  up, 
and  he  arose." 

In  the  acts  of  the  apostles  we  also  see  that  it  was  recognized 
that  evil  spirits  and  diseases  were  of  the  same  nature.  "There 
came  also  a  multitude  out  of  the  cities  round  about  unto  Jerusa- 
lem, bringing  sick  folks,  and  them  which  were  vexed  with  un- 
clean spirits :  and  they  were  healed  every  one." — Acts  5  :16.  'Tor 
unclean  spirits,  crying  with  loud  voice,  came  out  of  many  that 
\vere  possessed  with  them :  and  many  were  taken  with  palsies,  and 
that  were  lame,  were  healed." — Acts  8  :7. 

"  And  God  wrought  special  miracles  by  the  hands  of  Paul : 
so  that  from  his  body  were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs 
or  aprons,  and  the  diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the  evil  spirits 
went  out  of  them." — Acts  19  :11,  12.  When  Peter  introduced  the 
gospel  to  the  gentiles,  he  expressed  the  fact  that  diseases  are 
the  oppressions  of  the  Devil :  *'  How  God  annointed  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power :  who  went  about 
doing  good,  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  Devil." — 
Acts  10:38. 

The  statement  of  Jesus  Himself  upon  this  subject  should  be 
conclusive  to  every  Bible  reader.  "  And,  behold,  there  was  a 
woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years,  and  was 
bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself.  And  when 
Jesus  saw  her.  He  called  her  to  Him,  and  said  unto  her.  Woman, 
thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity.  And  He  laid  His  hands  on 
her ;  and  immediately  she  was  made  straight,  and  glorified  God. 
And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  answered  with  indignation,  be- 
cause that  Jesus  had  healed  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  said  unto 
the  people,  There  are  six  days  in  which  men  ought  to  work :  in 
them  therefore  come  and  be  healed,  and  not  on  the  Sabbath 
day.  The  Lord  then  answered  him  and  said.  Thou  hypocrite, 
doth  not  each  one  of  you  on  the  Sabbath  day  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass 
from  the  stall,  and  lead  him  away  to  watering?  And  ought  not 
this  woman,  being  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  hath 
bound,  lo,  these  eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the 
Sabbath  day?"— Luke  13:11-16. 

A  true  knowledge  of  this  scriptural  doctrine  is  of  great  profit 
to  us,  who  are  subject  to  approaches  of  the  enemy  while  in  this 
life.  We  have  found  the  Redeemer  and  His  perfect  remedy  for 
sin  and  sickness.     He  is  more  than  conqueror  over  all  the  power 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  263 

of  the  Devil.  It  was  His  work  on  earth  to  undo  the  work  of  the 
enemy.  He  came  to  work  the  works  of  God.  His  work  of  re- 
demption has  not  ceased.  It  was  continued  by  the  apostles  in 
their  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Healing  was  as  prominent  in  their 
work  as  it  was  in  the  work  of  Jesus.  The  testimony  of  the  saints 
through  every  century  since  then  establishes  the  fact  that  healing 
belongs  to  the  right  of  every  one  who  believes  in  Jesus. 

None  of  us  should  willingly  and  submissively  yield  to  sick- 
ness, except  in  the  sense  that  it  might  be  permitted  of  God  for 
our  temporary  chastisement.  In  every  case  of  sickness  we  should 
first  examine  our  hearts  before  God  to  find  out  if  we  have  dis- 
obeyed God  and  thereby  made  it  necessary  for  Him  to  chastise 
us  in  this  manner.  If  so,  then  the  cause  should  at  once  be  re- 
moved. Then  we  should  not  hold  our  peace  day  or  night  until 
the  grasp  of  the  enemy  is  relinquished  and  our  healing  effected. 
We  should  hate  sickness  with  a  holy  hatred,  and  resist  it  stead- 
fast in  the  faith,  as  we  would  resist  the  Devil  himself.  Where 
our  faith  would  prove  insufficient  for  deliverance,  we  should  be 
prompt  to  obey  the  injunction  of  the  apostle :  'Ts  any  sick  among 
you  ?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church ;  and  let  them  pray 
over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  and 
the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise 
him  up ;  and  if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven 
him.  Confess  your  faults  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for  an- 
other, that  ye  may  be  healed." — Jas.  5  :14-16. 


SUMMARIZED   QUESTIONS   AND  ANSWERS   ON    DIVINE    HEALING. 

Question.  What  is  divine  healing?  Answer.  Divine  healing 
is  the  act  of  God's  grace  by  the  direct  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
by  which  the  physical  body  is  delivered  from  sickness  and  disease 
and  restored  to  soundness  and  health. 

Qnes.  Have  we  any  promises  in  the  Bible  that  divine  heal- 
ing was  ever  intended  to  be  an  attainable  blessing  to  the  people 
of  God? 

Ans.  Yes.  There  are  many  such  promises.  We  find  it  given 
to  the  children  of  Israel  in  a  special  covenant  promise.  "If  thou 
wilt  diligently  harken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  wilt 
do  that  which  is  right  in  His  sight,  and  wilt  give  ear  to  His  com- 
mandments, and  keep  all  His  statutes,  I  will  put  none  of  these 


264  DI  V  I  A'  E     HEALl  N  G  . 

diseases  upon  thee,  which  I  have  brought  upon  the  Egpytians ; 
for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee." — Ex.  15 :26.  "And  ye 
shall  serve  the  Lord  your  God,  and  He  shall  bless  thy  bread  and 
thy  water  ;  and  I  will  take  sickness  away  from  the  midst  of  thee." — 
Ex.  23:25. 

Ques,  Does  the  Bible  prove  that  any  of  the  people  of  God 
ever  enjoyed  this  blessing? 

Ans.  Yes.  We  read  that  even  before  this  covenant  blessing 
was  promised,  the  physical  condition  of  the  people  was  perfect, 
which  indicates  plainly  that  God  had  a  special  interest  in  their 
health.  See  Ps.  .105  :37.  There  were  at  least  two  and  one-half 
million  people  in  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  "and  there  was  not 
one  feeble  person  among  their  tribes."  Moses  enjoyed  this 
blessing  in  a  special  manner.  Deut.  34  :7.  So  did  Caleb  in  an 
unusual  experience  of  preservation  of  health  to  an  old  age.  Josh. 
]4:10,  11.  David  personally  knew  the  benefits  and  blessings  of 
healing.  Ps.  6  :2  ;  30  :2  ;  103  :l-4.  Whenever  Israel  lived  up  to  the 
covenant  conditions,  they  all  had  the  benefits  of  healing  and  health. 
Ps.  107  :20  ;  2  Chron.  30  :20.  Hezekiah  had  a  personal  experience 
of  the  same.    2  Kings  20  :l-5. 

Ques.  Was  this  blessing  ever  promised  to  any  one  else  than 
the  Jews  ? 

Ans.  Yes.  It  is  given  in  prophecy  as  a  redemption  blessing, 
which,  with  all  other  gospel  blessings  through  Christ,  is  offered 
to  both  Jew  and  Gentile.    Gal.  3  :27-29. 

Ques.    What  does  prophecy  say  about  divine  healing? 

Ans.  There  is  more  said  about  it  in  prophecy  than  we  have 
time  at  present  to  read,  but  I  will  just  quote  a  few  verses,  and 
the  rest  can  be  read  at  your  leisure.  "Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then 
shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb 
sing." — Isa.  35  :5,  6.  This  very  prophecy  is  referred  to  by  Jesus 
himself  in  Matt.  11 :5,  6.  where  it  was  daily  being  fulfilled — "The 
blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached 
unto  them."  Another  very  plain  prophecy  is  found  in  Isa.  53  :4 — 
"Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows."  The 
fulfillment  of  this  wonderful  voice  of  inspiration  is  found  in  Matt. 
8 :17 — "Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." 
It  is  admitted  by  all  reliable  translators  and  the  most  eminent 
Hebrew  scholars,  such  as   Barnes,   Magee,  Young,   and  Leeser, 


Miyn     AND     FAITH     CURE.  265 

that  Isa.  53  A  in  its  literal  rendering  corresponds  exactly  with 
Matt.  8  :17.  We  see,  therefore,  that  the  latter  is  a  direct  reference 
to  the  former.  Then  the  beautiful  prophecy  of  salvation  and 
healing  is  found  in  the  following  verse,  viz. :  Isa.  53  :5 — -"But  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  o^r  peace  was  upon  Him ;  and 
with  His  stripes  we  are  healed."  These  prophecies  all  point  to  the 
redemption  work  of  Jesus,  which  finds  its  center  in  the  cross. 
The  apostle  Peter  refers  to  this  verse  just  quoted  in  the  following 
language :  "Who  His  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on 
the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteous- 
ness :  by  Whose  stripes  ye  were  healed," — 1  Pet.  2  :24.  The  fol- 
lowing references  will  enable  you  to  see  that  more  is  said  in 
prophecy  about  healing:  Isa.  42:7;  Isa.  61:1.  Fulfilled  in  Luke 
4:18-21.'  Prophecy  in  Mai.  4:2.  Fulfilled  in  Matt.  4:10;  Luke 
1 :78,  79.     These  are  all  fulfilled  in  redemption. 

Ques.  Do  you  believe  that  the  Bible  teaches  divine  healing 
as  a  redemption  blessing? 

Ails.  Yes.  Do  you  not  see  how  plain  this  is  made  in  the 
prophecies  just  quoted  and  in  their  fulfillment?  Jesus  worked  in 
every  respect,  in  His  life,  ministry,  death,  and  resurrection,  just 
according  to  the  redemption  plan.  His  words  and  deeds  are  thtt 
divine  expression  of  this  redemption  plan,  and  we  can  clearly  see 
that  healing  for  the  body  is  placed  upon  an  equal  with  healing 
for  the  soul.  Both  are  obtained  upon  the  same  grounds — obedience 
and  faith. 

Ques.    Can  a  person  possess  salvation  without  healing? 

Ans.  Yes  ;  he  may.  While  both  are  obtained  by  faith,  yet  they 
may  not  both  be  obtained  by  the  same  act  of  faith.  Jesus  will  be 
to  us  just  what  our  faith  takes  Him  for. 

Ques.     Did  Jesus  heal  everybody? 

Ans.  Yes  ;  all  who  came  to  Him  in  faith.  Read  Matt.  4  :23,  24 
and  Matt.  12  :15. 

Ques.    But  they  did  not  seem  to  have  faith,  did  they? 

Ans.  Yes.  If  you  read  the  references  just  mentioned,  you  will 
notice  the  people  "came  to  Him"  for  healing,  and  "followed  Him." 
At  Nazareth,  His  own  town  where  He  had  been  brought  up.  He 
could  do  no  great  work  among  them,  because  of  their  unbelief.  At 
Capernaum,  where  some  of  the  most  remarkable  healings  were 
wrought,  the  people  were  a  believing  people.  Out  of  nineteen  of 
the  most  prominent  individual  cases  of  healing  in  the  ministry 


266  DIVINE     HEALING. 

of  Christ  and  the  apostles,  there  are  twelve  of  these  where  their 
faith  is  spoken  of.  The  rest  are  mentioned  sufficiently  plain 
to  show  that  faith  brought  the  healing  in  every  case. 

Ques.  Did  not  Jesus  heal  arbitrarily,  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  establishing  His  divinity  ? 

Ans.  No.  He  healed  according  to  the  law  of  redemption, 
and  because  of  His  great  compassion  to  suffering  humanity. 
Matt.  14:14. 

Ques.  Did  not  healing  cease  when  Jesus  finished  His  earthly 
ministry  ? 

Ans.  No.  It  was  more  wonderfully  manifested  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  apostles,  after  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Acts.  5  :12-16  ; 
3:1-16;  14:8-10;  9:17,  18;  8:6-8;  19:11,  12;  14:19,  20;  9:33-35; 
36  :42 ;  20  :8-12 ;  28  :3-6,  8.  This  proves  clearly  that  divine  healing 
is  a  redemption  blessing  for  the  entire  Holy  Spirit  dispensation. 

Ques.  But  we  are  taught  that  it  was  only  for  the  beginning  of 
the  gospel  dispensation.    How  about  that? 

Ans.    The  Bible  does  not  teach  any  such  doctrine. 

Ques.  But  does  it  not  teach  that  ''when  that  which  is  perfect 
is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away"? — 1.  Cor. 
13  :10.    How  about  this  ? 

Ans.  This  scripture  has  no  reference  to  divine  healing  or 
any  other  of  the  redemption  blessings,  that  they  shall  be  done 
away  in  this  dispensation.  If  there  ever  has  been  a  time  in  this 
dispensation  when  it  could  have  been  said  with  reference  to 
the  full  possession  and  manifestation  of  the  gospel  blessings, 
that  "that  which  is  perfect  is  come,"  it  was  when  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  at  Pentecost:  but  we  see  that  after  that  these  mighty 
works  of  salvation  were  in  no  sense  "done  away,"  but  were  greatly 
increased.  So  you  see  the  "done  away"  argument  has  no  scrip- 
tural basis  whatever.  As  long  as  the  dispensation  of  grace  shall 
last,  so  long  shall  the  benefits  of  grace  be  extended  to  "whosoever 
will." 

Ques.    Well,  then,  when  was  divine  healing  done  away  with  ? 

Ans.    In  the  design  of  God  it  was  never  done  away. 

Ques.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  it  was  perpetuated  in  the 
primitive  church? 

Ans.  Certainly  it  was.  History  shows  that  for  several  cen- 
turies there  was  no  other  means  of  healing  practiced  in  the  church. 

Ques.    But  what  after  that  ? 

Ans.    Just  what  crowded  out  all  the  gospel  truths — the  super- 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  267 

stition  and  unbelief  of  the  apostasy.  But,  thank  God,  the  dark- 
ness is  past  and  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  with  heaHng  in  His 
wings  is  shining  salvation  and  health  to  all  who  will  forsake  all 
their  old  doctrines,  creeds,  and  superstitions,  and  get  back  upon 
the  old  apostolic  foundation,  the  Word  of  God. 

Qties.     But  how  may  I  know  that  it  is  still  God's  will  to  heal  ? 

Ans.  Just  as  you  may  know  that  it  is  His  will  to  save — ^by 
His  word.    His  word  is  His  will. 

Qiies.     But  it  may  be  His  will  not  to  heal  me. 

Ans.  You  must  go  outside  of  God's  word  to  find  standmg 
ground  for  such  a  conclusion ;  for  there  is  nothing  inside  of  the 
Bible  about  healing,  but  what  corresponds  with  the  blessed  text: 
''Himself  took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses."  Most 
people  who  argue  that  it  might  not  be  God's  will  to  heal  them,  are 
at  the  same  time  taking  medicine  and  employing  every  possible 
human  agency  to  get  well.  Why  be  so  inconsistent  ?  Why  fight 
God's  will  ?  If  it  is  His  will  for  us  not  to  get  well,  then  die.  Stop 
fighting  against  God. 

Ques.    But  does  not  sickness  come  from  God  as  a  blessing? 

Ans.  No.  It  never  comes  from  God  only  in  a  permissive 
sense,  the  same  as  a  temptation  comes  to  us ;  and  sickness  is  never 
a  blessing  to  us  only  as  any  other  temptation  or  trial  may  be  con  - 
sidered  a  blessing.  The  blessing  is  in  the  deliverance  and  healing. 
Every  person  who  has  ever  experienced  the  healing  touch  of  God 
knows  what  a  blessing  to  the  soul  comes  with  it.  Sickness  is  an 
abnormal  condition  of  the  body  and  can  not  be  a  blessing  from 
God. 

Ques.  If  it  does  not  come  from  God,  then  where  does  it  come 
from? 

Ans.  It  comes  from  the  Devil,  and  was  always  dealt  with  by 
Jesus  in  His  earthly  ministry  as  a  work  of  the  Devil.  The  word 
of  God  plainly  teaches  us  that  the  Devil  is  the  author  of  disease. 
Read  Job.  2  :7  ;  Luke  3  :16  ;  Acts  1 :38. 

Ques.  But  are  there  not  some  other  scriptures  that  teach 
us  that  sickness  comes  from  God? 

Ans.     Only  in  a  permissive  sense. 

Ques.  Does  the  Bible  teach  that  God  intends  to  be  the  healer 
of  His  people  without  the  use  of  medicine  ? 

Ans.  Yes.  It  nowhere  commands  the  use  of  medicine  with 
prayer  and  faith. 

Ques.  But  how  about  Hezekiah's  figs,  the  blind  man's  clay, 
and  Timothy's  wine? 


268  DIVINE     HEALI  N  G  . 

Alls.  It  is  true  Isaiah  told  Hezekiah  to  take  a  lutnp  of  figs, 
but  this  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  New  Testament  means  of 
heahng.  Also  it  is  very  evident  that  the  figs  did  not  heal  him; 
but  God  said,  "I  will  heal  thee."  Jesus  did  not  use  the  day 
on  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  for  any  curative  power ;  for  He  com- 
manded the  man  at  once  to  go  and  wash  it  off.  No  one  has  heard 
of  born  blindness  being  healed  by  the  use  of  clay  as  a  medicine 
since  then,  or  ever  before.  It  is  evident  that  the  spittle  and  clay 
were  used  by  Jesus  as  a  requirement  of  submission  and  obedience 
from  the  blind  man.  The  thought  must  have  been  repulsive  and 
humiliating  to  him  as  the  clay  was  applied  to  his  eyes,  but  like 
Naaman  he  submitted  and  obeyed  and  received  the  blessing  un- 
speakable, of  healing.  The  juice  of  the  grape  was  recommended 
to  Timothy  as  an  article  of  diet,  and  would  not  be  objectionable 
today,  in  its  proper  use,  under  similar  circumstances. 

Qiics.     Are  not  medicines  recognized  in  the  word  of  God? 

A]is.  Yes.  Let  us  read  how  it  recognizes  them.  "Thou  hast 
no  healing  medicines." — Jer.  30  :13.  *Tn  vain  shalt  thou  use  many 
medicines." — Jer.  4()  :11.  "A  merry  heart  doth  good  like  a  medi- 
cine." (margin,  to  a  medicine,  showing  that  the  merry  heart  is 
better  than  the  medicine.) — Prov.  17:22.  "And  the  fruit  thereof 
shall  be  for  meat,  and  the  leaf  thereof  for  medicine." — Ezek. 
4()  :12.  This  latter  reference  does  not  mean  any  material  remedy, 
but  is  prophetical  of  the  tree  of  life  and  divine  healing.  See  also 
Rev.  22  :2.  Thus  we  see  the  word  of  God  places  no  intrinsic 
value  upon  medicine. 

Qiies.  Is  not  the  ministry  of  physicians  for  the  body  designed 
by  God,  the  same  as  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  for  the  soul  ^ 

Ans.  No.  The  greater  portion  of  the  physicians  of  the  land 
are  ungodly  people,  many  of  them  professed  infidels,  and  were 
never  designed  of  God  to  administer  drugs  and  poisons  to  any  one ; 
much  less  to  the  people  of  God,  whose  bodies  are  the  sacred 
temples  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  true  ministers  of  the  gospel  are 
ministers  for  soul  and  body.  "And  they  departed  and  went 
through  the  towns,  preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere. 
— Luke  9  :6.  "And  they  went  forth,  and  preached  everywhere, 
the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  His  word  with  signs 
following."— Mark  16  :20. 

Ques.  But  is  not  the  ministry  of  physicians  recognized  in  the 
Bible? 

Ans.    Yes.     Let  us  read  how  it  recognizes  them.    "But  ye  are 


MIND     AND     FAITH     C  IR  E  .  269 

forgers  of  lies,   ye  are  all  physicians  of  no  value." — Job   13  :4. 

"And  Asa  in  the  thirty  and  ninth  year  of  his  reign  was  diseased 
in  his  feet,  until  his  disease  was  exceeding  great :  yet  in  his  disease 
he  sought  not  to  the  Lord,  but  to  the  physicians." — 2  Chron.  16  :12. 
''And  had  suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent 
all  that  she  had,  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew 
worse." — Mark  5  :26.  These  scriptures  show  that  the  Bible  gives 
no  very  favorable  recognition  of  physicians. 

Ques.  Was  not  anointing  with  oil  the  mode  of  doctoring 
in  Bible  times  ? 

Ans.  No.  While  some  kinds  of  oil  may  have  some  medical 
value  for  some  kinds  of  disease,  it  was  not  at  all  designed  for  any 
such  use  in  connection  with  the  prayer  of  faith  in  healing  the 
sick.  If  anointing  was  the  mode  of  doctoring,  the  church  Avould 
have  had  no  need  of  instruction  in  this  respect ;  for  it  would  have 
been  a  common  practice  everywhere  by  the  doctors,  and  had 
this  been  the  mind  of  the  apostle,  then  he  would  have  assigned 
the  work  of  anointing  to  the  doctors,  and  his  instructions  would 
have  been  given  something  after  the  following  ridiculous  manner, 
which  ought  to  make  every  divine-healing-fighter  hide  his  face 
with  shame :  Is  any  sick  among  you  ?  let  him  send  for  the  doctor 
and  let  him  anoint  him,  and  the  anointing  shall  save  the  sick.  The 
effectual  fervent  use  of  such  anointing  availeth  much.  It  would 
be  wisdom  for  professed  ministers  of  the  gospel  to  take  an  attitude 
toward  God's  word  which  would  harmonize  with  it.  It  would  be 
more  honest  to  declare  outright  that  they  do  not  believe  the  Jiible 
than  to  try  to  cover  up  their  unbelief  by  perverting  it,  God  has 
assigned  this  sacred  ministry  of  anointing  and  praying  the  prayer 
of  faith  for  healing  the  sick  to  the  elders  of  His  church. 

Ques.  But  do  you  not  think  that  we  ought  to  employ  a 
physician  and  then  ask  God  to  bless  the  medicine  ? 

Ans.  No.  That  is  not  God's  way  of  healing,  and  furthermore 
it  is  a  question  to  many  intelligent  and  scientific  people  about  the 
use  of  poisonous  drugs  and  medicines  which  are  so  generally  rsed 
today. 

Ques.  What!  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  there  is  no  healing 
virtue  in  medicines  and  drugs? 

Ans.  According  to  many  of  the  medical  authorities  there  is 
not.  Whatever  benefit  there  may  be  in  them,  there  is  evidently 
much  more  harm  done  by  their  use  than  there  is  good.  Dr.  Jas.  B. 
Bell  of  Boston,  an  eminent  physician  and  believer  in  divine  heal- 


270  DIVIDE     HEALING. 

ing,  in  writing  about  the  blind  faith  of  people  in  the  use  of  patent 
medicines,  says:  "But  to  be  faithful,  I  must  also  warn  you  against 
the  use  of  drugs  by  physicians.  Narcotics,  sedatives,  stimulants, 
tonics,  quinine,  antipyrine,  and  hundreds  of  others,  are  injiu'ing 
brains  and  nerves,  stomachs  and  livers,  bringing  on  heart  failure, 
and  doing  far  more  harm  than  good."  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
said  that  if  all  the  drugs  were  cast  into  the  sea,  it  would  be  better 
for  humanity,  but  worse  for  the  fishes.  Dr.  Bell  said :  "I  believe 
that  if  the  advice  of  Dr.  Holmes  were  followed,  and  physicians 
would  confine  themselves  to  giving  good  advice  and  mechanical 
and  surgical  aid  when  needed,  the  mortality  would  improve  four 
or  five  per  cent.,  or,  in  other  words,  there  would  be  a  saving  of 
about  3,000  lives  (annually)  in  New  England  alone,  and  probably 
much  more  than  that."  In  speaking  of  the  belief  of  some  who 
would  take  medicine  and  then  ask  God  to  bless  it,  he  says,  "If  what 
Dr.  Holmes  says  is  true,  it  would  require  a  miracle  to  save  the 
fishes,  and  how  much  more  to  save  the  people ;  how  much  more 
divine  power,  so  to  speak,  to  overcome  both  the  disease  and  the 
ill  effect  of  the  drugs?  Many  testimonies  of  noted  and  honored 
men  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  the  study  and  practice  of 
medicine  can  be  given,  which  show  the  danger  and  uncertainty  of 
drugs. 

Qiies.  What  attitude  do  physicians  generally  take  toward 
divine  healing? 

Ans.  We  will  let  Dr.  Bell  answer.  He  says:  "I  would  say 
first,  There  can  be  no  antagonism  between  the  medical  profession 
and  divine  healing.  (Of  course,  he  must  have  reference  to  good 
conscientious  people  of  the  profession.)  First,  because  of  the 
vast  number  of  incurable  cases  for  which  medical  or  surgical 
treatment  can  do  little  or  nothing.  New  England  has  4,600,000 
inhabitants,  of  whom  1,500  die  every  year  of  cancer,  15,000  of 
consumption,  and  about  80,000  from  all  causes.  Can  you  believe 
that  the  medical  profession  would  not  welcome  the  incoming  of  a 
measure  of  divine  power  which  would  save  all  this  suffering,  and 
prolong  all  these  lives,  or,  at  least,  of  the  useful  and  saved  ones,  till 
three  score  years  and  ten?  Or,  if  only  a  few  should  have  the 
faith  to  grasp  this  blessing,  what  physician  can  there  be  found 
who  would  not  rejoice?  It  is  not  the  M.  D.'s  but  the  D.  D.'s  who 
oppose  this  teaching." 

Qitcs.     Why  do  the  D.  D.'s  oppose  it? 

Alls.    Because  of  their  shameful  cowardice.    Many  of  them,  if 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  271 

not  all,  can  not  but  see  this  precious  doctrine  in  the  Bible:  but 
there  are  a  very  few  if  any  of  these  men,  who  are  preaching 
for  salary  who  have  the  moral  or  Christian  courage  to 
preach  the  full  gospel.  Their  salary  and  reputation  are  at  stake, 
and  they  are  very  careful  to  preach  nothing  that  will  offend  their 
vv^orldly  supporters.  This  is  a  great  wrong,  and  every  man  who 
thus  keeps  back  the  truth  from  the  people  will  have  to  answer  for  ' t 
at  the  great  day  of  reckoning.  Because  they  are  afraid  to  preach 
the  truth  they  try  to  make  themselves  disbelieve  it,  and  to  justify 
themselves  they  must  oppose  it. 

Ques.    Was  not  Luke  spoken  of  as  the  beloved  physician  ? 

Ans.  Yes  (in  Col.  4  :14)  ;  but  this  does  not  signify  that  he  was 
practicing  after  he  went  into  the  gospel  work.  There  is  no  record, 
nor  the  slightest  intimation,  that  -he  did.  It  was  evident  that  he 
was  present  with  Paul  at  Troas  where  the  young  man  Eutychus 
was  restored  to  life.  However,  there  is  nothing  said  about  Luke 
interfering  with  any  medical  suggestions.  He  was  called  the 
physician  in  this  reference,  very  likely  because  of  his  former  pro- 
fession. 

Ques.    If  healing  is  for  us  all,  how  can  we  ever  die? 

Ans.  The  same  as  the  patriarchs,  prophets,  apostles,  the  saints 
of  the  first  three  centuries,  and  many  of  them  in  the  nineteentli 
century — without  disease,  ''like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  in  his 
season."  There  were  many  also  whose  lives  were  cut  short  by 
martyrdom.  There  is  not  the  slightest  shadow  of  intimation 
in  the  Bible  that  we  must  die  of  disease. 

Ques.  Why  is  it  then  that  so  many  of  our  fathers  and  mothers 
have  died  of  disease? 

Ans.  Because  divine  healing  has  been  so  little  taught.  Manv 
never  heard  about  it,  only  that  it  could  not  be  obtained  in  this  life. 

Ques.  Why  are  there  some  who  believe  in  healing,  and  seem- 
ingly fail  to  obtain  it  ? 

Ans.  There  are  many  reasons  why.  Many  people  do  not  give 
God  a  fair  chance  to  heal  them,  because  they  will  not  meet  all  the 
conditions  of  His  Word.  There  are  thousands  of  secret  sins,  each 
one  of  them  enough  to  hinder  their  faith  from  laying  hold  upon 
God.  The  apostle  says :  ''Beloved,  if  our  heart  condemn  us  not, 
then  have  we  confidence  toward  God.  And  whatsoever  we  ask, 
we  receive  of  Him,  because  we  keep  His  commandments,  and  do 
those  things  that  are  pleasing  in  His  sight." — 1  Jno.  3  :21,  22.  It 
means  much  to  live  in  God's  sight  where  our  hearts  condemn  us 


272  DIVINE     HEALING. 

not.  Some  also  who  come  to  God  for  healing,  come  only  to  "try 
healing,"  as  they  would  try  some  new  doctor.  They  would  be 
glad  to  buy  it  with  money,  but  when  they  find  that  it  costs  every  sin 
and  requires  a  holy  walk  with  God,  they  become  offended  and  get 
nothing  from  God.  Jesus  said  in  connection  with  healing  (Matt 
11:6)  :  "Blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  Me." 
Others  whose  faith  is  not  sufficient  at  the  time  to  grasp  the 
promises  and  get  the  blessing,  become  discouraged  and  give  up ; 
whereas,  they  should  keep  upon  believing  ground  until  the  bless- 
ing comes. 

Qncs.  But  are  there  not  a  few  who  seem  to  have  met  every 
condition  and  still  fail  to  get  the  blessing? 

Alts.  Yes,  apparently  so.  Yet  it  is  evident  that  some  of  the 
conditions  have  not  been  met.  It  may  be  no  fault  on  the  part  of 
the  individual,  only  that  it  may  be  the  lack  of  determined  faith : 
but  whatever  it  may  be,  there  is  a  lack  on  the  part  of  the  indi- 
vidual somewhere;  for  God's  part  is  complete,  and  when  ours  is 
the  work  must  be  done.  As  the  church  advances  in  spiritual  light 
and  power,  there  will  be  a  better  understanding  of  some  of  these 
cases. 

Qiies.  Should  a  person  who  can  not  seem  to  get  the  blessing, 
then  go  to  taking  medicine  ? 

Ans.  No.  He  should  get  nearer  to  God,  and  wait  upon  Him 
in  importunity  until  his  faith  brings  the  blessing. 

Qnes.    But  suppose  he  does  not  get  it  then  ? 

Ans.     Faith  does  not  suppose. 

Qnes.     But  have  not  some  died  while  thus  waiting  on  God  ? 

Ans.  If  they  have,  they  have  honored  God  by  dying  in  the 
faith.  If  some  unknown  cause  hindered  their  faith  from  getting 
hold  on  God,  and  God  would  not  heal,  then  no  human  remedy 
could  help  them.  In  such  a  case  what  God  would  not  do,  man 
conid  not  do. 

Qnes.  How  about  innocent  children,  and  persons  whose  af- 
flictions render  them  incapable  of  exercising  faith  ? 

Ans.  In  such  cases  intercessory  faith  will  bring  the  blessing 
for  them. 

Ques.    What  is  intercessory  faith  ? 

Ans.  It  is  the  exercise  of  faith  by  one  person  for  another. 
Parents  can  exercise  faith  for  the  healing  of  their  children,  or  any 
child  of  God  can  help  another. 

Qnes.  Can  intercessory  faith  bring  healing  to  another  person 
who  is  responsible  to  obey  and  believe  for  himself? 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  273 

Ans.  Yes.  There  may  be  cases  where  this  is  done  for  the 
time,  but  in  every  case,  each  responsible  person  must  sooner  or 
later  come  to  the  place  where  his  individual  responsibility  must 
be  acted  upon,  and  perfect  obedience  rendered  to  God. 

Ques.     What  steps  must  be  taken  to  obtain  healing? 

Ans.    Obedience  and  faith. 

Ques.    What  means  must  be  used? 

Ans.     There  are  different  scriptural  means. 

1.  Anointing  with  oil  and  the  prayer  of  faith.    James  5  :14:. 

2.  Laying  on  of  hands  of  them  that  believe.    Mark  16  :18. 

3.  The  praver  of  faith  individuallv.  John  15 :7 ;  2  Kings 
20:1-5. 

4.  The  prayer  of  faith  through  one  or  more  intercessors.  John 
4:49,  50;  Matt.  8:5,  13;  9:2,  8. 

Qfies.  Is  it  not  possible  that  people  may  be  healed  through 
Satanic  power? 

Ans.  Yes.  The  Devil  has  power  to  work  miracles  (Rev. 
16  :13,  14),  and  when  souls  can  be  the  easier  deceived  by  them,  he 
will  give  the  deception.  He  is  the  author  of  disease,  and  has 
power  to  remove  it,  if  by  so  doing  he  can  more  easily  hold  his 
subjects  in  darkness.  Every  professed  healer,  or  teacher  of  heal- 
ing, and  every  one  who  claims  healing,  who  denies  the  blood  of 
Christ  as  the  sacrifice  for  sin,  is  Antichrist  and  of  the  Devil ;  no 
matter  what  miraculous  manifestations  of  healing,  or  otherwise, 
they  may  claim  to  produce.    Gal  1 :8,  9. 

Ques.  How  may  we  know  the  difference  between  these  coun- 
terfeits and  the  teachers  of  divine  healing? 

Ans.  Every  true  minister  of  the  gospel  preaches  divine  healing 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  depending  upon  the  light  received,  and 
always  demands  the  Bible  requirements  of  every  sinner — "repent- 
ance towards  God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" — and 
never  claims  to  heal  any  one,  but  simply  prays  the  prayer  of  faith, 
and  attributes  all  healing  power  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  and 
never  takes  any  fees  for  such  service. 

Ques.    Does  not  God  give  the  "gifts  of  healing"  to  some? 

Ans.  Yes.  This  is  one  of  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (1  Cor. 
12:9,  30.),  which  is  given  to  such  persons  in  the  church  of  God 
as  can  glorify  Him  therewith.  The  gifts  of  healing  are  the  various 
scriptural  means  designed  of  God  to  be  used  in  cases  of  emergency 
by  every  true  minister  and  child  of  God,  but,  as  an  individual 
endowment,  to  certain  ones  who  are  called  and  qualified  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  ministry  of  healing. 


274  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Ques.    What  is  the  grace  of  healing ? 

Ans.  It  is  our  redemption  right  to  heaHng,  the  same  as  justifi- 
cation and  sanctification,  purchased  for  us  through  the  atonement 
and  offered  to  all  who  will  meet  the  Bible  conditions. 

Ques.  Is  it  right  then  for  us  always  to  pray  for  each  other's 
healing  and  health  ? 

Ans.  Yes.  "Beloved,  I  wish  (pray)  above  all  things,  that 
thou  mayest  prosper  and  be  in  health,  even  as  thy  soul  prospereth.'' 
— 3  Jno.  2.  "Confess  your  faults  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for 
another,  that  ye  may  be  healed." — Jas.  5 :16. 


PART  II. 

An  Illustrated   Graphic    History  of  the   Life 

of   our     Lord     and     Savior, 

Jesus  Christ. 

Biographical    Sketch    and    Biblical    History 

of  His  Teachings  and    Wonderful 

Miracles   Performed  While 

Here  on  Earth. 


THE  NATIVITY  OF  OUR  LORD  AND  SAVIOR,  JESUS  CHRIST. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  279 

THE  NATIVITY  OF  OUR  LORD  AND  SAVIOR,.  JESUS 

CHRIST. 

(LUKE  2:6-11.) 

''And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days  that  there  went  out  a  decree 
from  Caesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed. 

''(And  this  taxing  was  first  made  when  Cyrenius  was  governor 
of  Syria.) 

''And  all  went  to  be  taxed,  every  one  into  his  own  city. 

"And  Joseph  also  went  up  from  Galilee,  out  of  the  city  of 
Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  the  city  of  David,  which  is  called  Beth- 
lehem, (because  he  was  of  the  house  and  lineage  of  David). 

"To  be  taxed,  with  Mary,  his  espoused  wife,  being  great  with 
child. 

"And  so  it  was,  that,  while  they  were  there,  the  days  were  ac- 
complished that  she  should  be  delivered. 

"And  she  brought  forth  her  firstborn  son,  and  wrapped  him  in 
swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger ;  because  there  was  no 
room  for  them  in  the  inn. 

"And  there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  abiding  in  the 
field,  keeping  watch  over  their  flock  by  night. 

"And,  lo,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  them ;  and  they  were  sore  afraid. 

"And  the  angel  said  unto  them,  Fear  not :  for,  behold,  I  bring 
you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people. 

"For  unto  you  is  born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Savior, 
which  is  Christ,  the  Lord. 

Let  us  today  go  down  to  Bethlehem,  and,  in  company  with 
wondering  shepherds  and  adoring  Magi,  let  us  see  Him  who  was 
born  King  of  the  Jews,  for  we,  by  faith,  can  claim, an  interest  in 
Him,  and  sing,  "Unto  us  a  child  is  born;  unto  us  a  son  is  given." 
Jesus  is  Jehovah  incarnate,  our  Lord  and  our  God,  and  yet  our  bro- 
ther and  friend ;  let  us  adore  and  admire.  Let  us  notice  at  the  very 
first  glance  His  miraculous  conception.  It  was  a  thing  unheard  of 
before,  and  unparalleled  since,  that  a  virgin  should  conceive  and 
bear  a  son.  "The  Lord  hath  created  a  new  thing  in  earth ;  a  wo- 
man shall  compass  a  man."  The  first  promise  ran  thus  :  "The  seed 
of  the  woman/'  not  the  offspring  of  the  man.  Since  venturous 
woman  led  the  way  in  the  sin  which  brought  forth  Paradise  lost, 


280  D  IV  IN  E     H  EALING  . 

she,  and  she  alone,  ushers  in  the  Regainer  of  Paradise.  Our 
Savior,  although  truly  man,  was,  as  to  His  human  nature,  the 
Holy  One  of  God.  By  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  He  was 
born  of  the  virgin  without  the  taint  of  original  sin  which  apper- 
tains to  all  those  who  are  born  of  the  flesh.  Let  us  reverently  bow 
before  the  Holy  Child  whose  innocence  restores  to  manhood  its 
ancient  glory ;  and  let  us  pray  that  He  may  be  formed  in  us,  the 
hope  of  glory.  Fail  not  to  note  His  humble  parentage.  His 
mother,  our  morning's  portion  describes  simply  as  "a  virgin,"  not  a 
princess  or  prophetess,  nor  a  matron  of  large  estate.  True,  her 
lineage  was  not  to  be  despised,  for  the  blood  of  kings  ran  in  her 
veins ;  nor  was  her  mind  a  weak  and  untaught  one,  for  she  could 
sing  most  sweetly  a  song  of  praise;  but  yet  how  humble  her  po- 
sition, how  poor  the  man  to  whom  she  stood  affianced,  and  how 
miserable  the  accommodation  afforded  to  the  new-born  King! 
Thus  has  poverty  become  consecrated,  and  men  of  low  estate  are 
exalted  to  honor.  Every  believer  is  a  portarit  of  Christ,  but  a  poor 
saint  is  the  same  well-drawn  picture  hung  in  the  selfsame  frame 
of  poverty  which  surrounds  the  Master's  image. 

We  esteem  every  day  alike,  but  still,  as  the  season  and  the  gen- 
eral custom  suggest  thoughts  of  Jesus,  let  us  joyfully  remember 
our  dear  Redeemer's  glorious  birth.  Every  day  should  be  the 
birthday  of  the  Savior  to  a  renewed  soul.  Amid  all  that  is  humili- 
ating, there  is  much  that  is  honorable  in  the  circumstances  of  the 
birth  of  our  Immanuel.  Whose  birth  was  ever  ushered  in  by  a 
long  train  of  prophecy,  or  longed  for  by  such  a  multitude  of  hearts  ? 
Who  but  He  can  boast  of  a  forerunner  who  marked  Him  as  the 
coming  Man  ?  When  did  angels  indulge  in  midnight  songs,  or  did 
God  ever  hang  a  new  star  in  the  sky  before  ?  To  whose  cradle  did 
rich  and  poor  make  so  willing  a  pilgrimage,  and  offer  such  hearty 
and  unsought  oblations?  Well  may  earth  rejoice;  well  may  all 
men  cease  their  labor  to  celebrate  "the  great  birthday"  of  Jesus. 
O  Bethlehem,  house  of  bread,  we  see  in  thee  our  hopes  forever 
gratified.  'Tis  He,  the  Savior,  long  foretold,  to  usher  in  the  age  of 
gold.  Let  gladness  rule  the  hour ;  let  holy  song  and  sweet  heart- 
music  accompany  our  soul  in  its  raptures  of  delight. 

The  golden  name,  Immanuel,  is  inexpressibly  delightful.  It  is 
a  word  fit  for  the  lips  of  cherubim  for  its  majesty,  but  because  of 
its  marvellous  condescension,  none  but  men  can  utter  it.  He  is  not 
so  with  seraphs  as  He  is  zvith  us.  God  with  us  in  our  nature,  in 
our  sorrow,  in  our  lifework,  in  our  punishment,  in  our  grave,  and 


M  I  N  D     A  N  D     FAI  T  H     C  U  R  E  .  281 

now  with  us,  or  rather  we  with  Him,  in  resurrection,  ascension, 
triumph,  and  second  advent  splendor.  The  Babe  of  Bethlehem 
appears  to  be  manifestly  with  us  in  weakness  and  in  poverty ;  let  us 
not  forget  that  He  is  equally  near  us  in  His  glory  and  honor. 
Faith  clasps  the  child,  and  love  kisses  Him  with  the  kisses  of  her 
lips.    O  for  true  spiritual  fellowship  with  Immanuel  all  this  day ! 

When  a  person  is  dear,  everything  connected  with  him  becomes 
dear  for  His  sake.  Thus,  so  precious  is  the  person  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  the  estimation  of  all  true  believers  that  everything  about 
Him  they  consider  to  be  inestimable  beyond  all  price.  "All  thy 
garments  smell  of  myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia,"  said  David,  as 
if  the  very  vestments  of  the  Savior  were  so  sweetened  by  His  per- 
son that  he  could  not  but  love  them.  Certain  it  is,  that  there  is 
not  a  spot  where  that  hallowed  foot  hath  trodden — there  is  not  a 
word  which  those  blessed  lips  have  uttered — nor  a  thought  which 
His  loving  Word  has  revealed — which  is  not  to  us  precious  beyond 
all  price.  And  this  is  true  of  the  names  of  Christ — they  are  all 
sweet  in  the  believer's  ear.  Whether  He  be  called  the  Husband  of 
the  Church,  her  Bridegroom,  her  Friend ;  whether  He  be  styled  the 
Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world — the  King,  the 
Prophet,  or  the  Priest — every  title  of  our  Master — Shiloh,  Im- 
manuel, Wonderful,  the  Mighty  Counsellor — every  name  is  like  the 
honeycomb  dropping  with  honey,  and  luscious  are  the  drops  that 
distill  from  it.  But  if  there  be  one  name  sweeter  than  another  in 
the  believer's  ear,  it  is  the  name  of  Jcsns.  Jesus !  It  is  the  name 
which  moves  the  harps  of  heaven  to  melody.  Jesus !  the  life  of  all 
our  joys.  If  there  be  one  name  more  charming,  more  precious 
than  another,  it  is  this  name.  It  is  woven  into  the  ver})  warp  and 
woof  of  our  psalmody.  Many  of  our  hymns  begin  with  it,  and 
scarcely  any,  that  are  good  for  anything,  end  without  it.  It  is  the 
sum  total  of  all  delights.  It  is  the  music  with  which  the  bells  of 
heaven  ring ;  a  song  in  a  word  ;  an  ocean  for  comprehension,  al- 
though a  drop  for  brevity ;  a  matchless  oratorio  in  two  syllables ;  a 
gathering  up  of  the  hallelujahs  of  eternity  in  five  letters. 

''Jesus,  I  love  Thy  charming  name ; 
'Tis  music  to  mine  ear." 


282  DIVINE     U  IJ  ALI  N  U  . 


GOD  INCARNATE. 

Hark !  the  herald-angels  sing, 
''Glory  to  the  newborn  King; 
Peace  on  earth,  and  mercy  mild ; 
God  and  sinners  reconciled." 

Joyful,  all  ye  nations,  rise. 
Join  the  triumphs  of  the  skies ; 
With  angelic  hosts  proclaim, 
"Christ  is  born  in  Bethlehem." 

Christ,  by  highest  heaven  adored, 
Christ,  the  everlasting  Lord ; 
Veiled  in  flesh  the  Godhead  see ; 
Hail,  incarnate  Deity ! 

Hail  the  heaven-born  Prince  of  peace! 
Hail  the  Sun  of  Righteousness ! 
Light  and  life  to  all  He  brings. 
Risen  with  healing  in  His  wings. 

Charles  Wesley. 


THE  MAGI  ON  THEIR  JOURNEY 


^,;.^^^' 


C.ALlFO 


9.^ 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  285 

THE  MAGI  ON  THEIR  JOURNEY. 
(matt.  2:1,  2.) 

''Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  in  the 
days  of  Herod  the  king,  behold,  there  came  wise  men  from  the 
East  to  Jerusalem, 

"Saying,  Where  is  He  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we 
have  seen  His  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come  to  worship  Him." 

What  was  the  subject  of  their  praise?  They  praised  God  for 
what  they  had  heard — for  the  good  tidings  of  great  joy  that  a 
Savior  was  born  unto  them.  Let  us  copy  them ;  let  us  also  raise  a 
song  of  thanksgiving  that  we  have  heard  of  Jesus  and  His  salva- 
tion. They  also  praised  God  for  what  they  had  seen.  There  is  the 
sweetest  music — what  we  have  experienced,  what  we  have  felt 
within,  what  we  have  made  our  own — "the  things  which  we  have 
made  touching  the  King."  It  is  not  enough  to  hear  about  Jesus: 
mere  hearing  may  tune  the  harp,  but  the  fingers  of  living  faith 
must  create  the  music.  If  you  have  seen  Jesus  with  the  God- 
given  sight  of  faith,  suffer  no  cobwebs  to  linger  among  the 
harpstrings,  but  loud  to  the  praise  of  sovereign  grace,  awake 
your  psaltery  and  harp. 


Paschal  Lamb,  by  God  appointed. 
All  our  sins  were  on  Thee  laid  ; 

By  Almighty  Love  anointed, 

Thou  hast  full  atonement  made. 

All  Thy  people  are  forgiven 

Through  the  virtue  of  Thy  blood  ; 
Opened  is  the  gate  of  heaven  : 

Peace  is  made  'twixt  man  and  God. 


PRESENTATION  OF  JESUS  IN  THE  TEMPLE. 

(LUKE  2:22-34.) 

"And  when  the  days  of  her  purification  according  to  the  law  of 
Moses  were  accomplished,  they  brought  Him  to  Jerusalem,  to  pre- 
sent Him  to  the  Lord ; 


286  DIVINE     HEALING. 

''And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem,  whose  name  was 
Simeon ;  and  the  same  man  zvas  just  and  devout,  waiting  for  the 
consolation  of  Israel :  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him. 

''And  it  was  revealed  tmto  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he 
should  not  see  death  before  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ. 

"And  he  came  by  the  Spirit  into  the  temple :  and  when  the 
parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for  Him  after  the  custom 
of  the  law, 

"Then  he  took  Him  up  in  his  arms,  and  blessed  God,  and  said, 
Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to 
Thy  word,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation." 

"Which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people ; 

"A  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  Thy  people 
Israel. 

"And  Joseph  and  His  mother  marvelled  at  those  things  which 
were  spoken  of  Him. 

"And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  Mary,  his  mother. 
Behold  this  child  is  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in 
Israel ;  and  for  a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against." 


My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 

My  spirit  doth  rejoice; 
To  Thee  my  Savior  and  my  God 

I  lift  my  joyful  voice. 

I  need  not  go  abroad  for  joys, 
I  have  a  feast  at  home; 

My  sighs  are  turned  into  songs, 
My  heart  has  ceased  to  roam. 

Down  from  above  the  blessed  Dove 
Is  come  into  my  breast. 

To  witness  Thine  eternal  love. 
And  give  my  spirit  rest. 

My  God,  I'll  praise  Thee  while  I  live, 
And  praise  Thee  when  I  die. 

And  praise  Thee  when  I  rise  again. 
And  to  eternity. 


THE  FLIGHT  INTO  EGYPT. 


MIX  D    AX  D    FAIT  H    CURE  .  289 

THE  FLIGHT  INTO  EGYPT. 
(matt.  2:13,  14.) 

"And  when  they  were  departed,  behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  saying.  Arise,  and  take  the  young 
child  and  his  mother,  and  flee  into  Egypt,  and  be  thou  there  until 
I  bring  thee  word :  for  Herod  will  seek  the  young  child  to  destroy 
him. 

"When  he  arose,  he  took  the  young  child  and  his  mother  by 
night  and  departed  into  Egypt." 

Bitter  mourning  and  woe  were  brought  upon  Bethlehem  by 
Herod,  but  his  purpose  to  slay  Jesus  was  baffled,  for  when  the  wise 
men  had  departed,  behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Joseph  in  a  dream,  saying,  ''Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and 
his  mother,  and  flee  into  Egypt,  and  be  thou  there  until  I  bring 
thee  word,  for  Herod  will  seek  the  young  child  to  destroy  him." 
When  he  arose,  he  took  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  by  night, 
and  departed  into  Egypt,  and  was  there  until  the  death  of  Herod, 
that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  .was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the 
prophet,  saying,  "Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  My  Son." 

The  artist  has  here  presented  a  very  sweet  and  tender  scene. 
The  little  group  of  father,  mother  and  child,  with  their  plodding, 
patient  beast,  have  just  mounted  some  rising  ground,  from  which 
Joseph  throws  a  backward  glance  of  troubled  watchfulness,  while 
Mary's  countenance,  raised  to  heaven,  seems  to  rest  in  the  help 
she  so  divinely  seeks ;  the  child,  alone  unconscious,  dreams  in  its 
mother's  arms  a  wakeful  dream  under  the  deep,  calm  skies. 

THE  RETURN  FROM  EGYPT. 
(matt.  2:19-21.) 

"But  when  Herod  was  dead,  behold,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  ap- 
peareth  in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt, 

"Saying,  Arise,  and  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and 
go  into  the  land  of  Israel :  for  they  are  dead  which  sought  the 
young  child's  life. 

"And  he  arose,  and  took  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and 
came  into  the  land  of  Israel." 


290  DIVINE     HE\A  LING. 

THE  FATHER  SENT  THE  SON  TO  BE  THE  SAVIOR  OF 

THE  WORLD. 

(1  JOHN  4:14.) 

It  is  a  sweet  thought  that  Jesus  Christ  did  not  come  forth  with- 
out His  Father's  permission,  authority,  consent,  and  assistance. 
He  was  sent  of  the  Father,  that  He  might  be  the  Savior  of  men. 
We  are  too  apt  to  forget,  that  while  there  are  distinctions  as  to  the 
persons  in  the  Trinity,  there  are  no  distinctions  of  honor.  We  too 
frequently  ascribe  the  honor  of  our  salvation,  or  at  least  the  depths 
of  its  benevolence,  more  to  Jesus  Christ  than  we  do  to  the  Father. 
This  is  a  very  great  mistake.  What  if  Jesus  came  ?  Did  not  His 
Father  send  Him?  If  He  spake  wondrously,  did  not  His 
Father  pour  grace  into  His  lips,  that  He  might  be  an  able  minister 
of  the  new  covenant  ?  He  who  knoweth  the  Father,  and  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  as  he  should  know  them,  never  setteth  one 
before  another  in  his  love;  he  sees  them  at  Bethlehem, 
.at  Gethsemane,  and  on  Calvary,  all  equally  engaged  in  the 
work  of  salvation.  O  Christian,  hast  thou  put  thy  confidence  in 
the  Man  Christ  Jesus?  Hast  thou  placed  thy  reliance  solely  on 
Him?  And  art  united  with  Him?  Then  believe  that  thou  art 
united  unto  the  God  of  heaven.  Since  to  the  Man  Christ  Jesus 
thou  art  a  brother,  and  boldest  closest  fellowship,  thou  art  linked 
thereby  with  God  the  Eternal,  and  "the  Ancient  of  days"  is  thy 
Father  and  thy  Friend.  Didst  thou  ever  consider  the  depth  of  lo\e 
in  the  heart  of  Jehovah,  when  God  the  Father  equipped  His  Son 
for  the  great  enterprise  of  mercy  ?  If  not,  be  this  thy  day's  medita- 
tion. The  Father  sent  Him !  Contemplate  that  subject.  Think 
how  Jesus  works  what  the  Father  wills.  In  the  wounds  of  the 
dying  Savior  see  the  love  of  the  great  I  ±\M.  Let  every  thought  of 
Jesus  be  also  connected  with  the  Eternal,  ever  blessed  God,  for 
"it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  Him  ;  He  hath  put  Him  to  grief." 


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SAINT  JOHN  PREACHING. 


JUIXD     AXD     FAITH     CURE.  293 

SAINT  JOHN  PREACHES.— HIS  OFFICE,  LIFE  AXD 
BAPTISM. 

(matt.  3:1-6.) 

"In  those  days  came  John  the  Baptist,  preaching  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  Judea, 

"And  saying,  Repent  ye :  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 

"For  this  is  he  that  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Esaias,saying, 
The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  make  His  paths  straight. 

"And  the  same  John  had  his  raiment  of  camel's  hair,  and  a 
leathern  girdle  about  his  loins:  and  his  meat  was  locusts  and 
wild  honey. 

"Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the 
region  round  about  Jordan,  and  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan, 
confessing  their  sins." 


THE  PREACHING  AND  BAPTISM  OF  SAINT  JOHN. 
(LUKE  3:3-6.) 

**And  he  came  into  all  the  country'  about  Jordan,  preaching  the 
baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins ; 

•*As  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  the  words  of  Elsaias  the 
prophet,  saying.  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Prepare 
ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  His  paths  straight. 

"Every  valley  shall  be  filled,  and  ever}-  mountain  and  hill  shall 
be  brought  low :  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the 
rough  ways  shall  be  made  smooth ; 

"And  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God." 

The  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness  demanded  a  way  for  the 
Lord,  a  way  prepared,  and  a  zuay  prepared  in  the  wilderness.  I 
would  be  attentive  to  the  Master's  proclamation,  and  give  Him  a 
road  into  my  heart,  cast  up  by  gracious  operations,  through  the 
desert  of  my  nature. 

Every  valley  must  be  exalted.  Low  and  groveling  thoughts 
of  God  must  be  given  up:  doubting  and  despairing  must  be  re- 
moved: and  self-seeking  and  carnal  delights  must  be  forsaken. 
Across  these  deep  valleys  a  glorious  causeway  of  grace  must  be 
raised. 


294  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  laid  low.  Proud  creature- 
sufficiency,  and  boastful  self-righteousness,  must  be  leveled,  to 
make  a  highway  for  the  King  of  kings.  Divine  fellowship  is  never 
vouchsafed  to  haughty,  high-minded  sinners.  The  Lord  hath  re- 
spect unto  the  lowly,  and  visits  the  contrite  in  heart,  but  the  lofty 
are  an  abomination  unto  Him. 

The  crooked  shall  be  made  straight.  The  wavering  heart 
must  have  a  straight  path  of  decision  for  God  and  holiness  marked 
out  for  it.  Double-minded  men  are  strangers  to  the  God  of 
truth. 

The  rough  places  shall  be  made  smooth.  Stumbling-blocks 
of  sin  must  be  removed,  and  thorns  and  briers  of  rebellion  must  be 
uprooted.  So  great  a  visitor  must  not  find  miry  ways  and  stony 
places  when  He  comes  to  honor  His  favored  ones  with  His 
company. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  JESUS. 


Ml^D     AyjJ     FAITH     CURE.  297 

THE  BAPTISM  OF  JESUS. 
(matt.  34:13-1G.) 

"Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John,  to  bo 
baptized  of  him. 

"But  John  forbade  Him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of 
Thee,  and  comest  Thou  to  me? 

"And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him.  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now : 
for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.  Then  he  suf- 
fered Him. 

"And  Jesus,  when  He  was  baptized,  went  up  straightway  out 
of  the  water :  and  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened  unto  Him,  and  He 
saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon 
Him: 

"And  lo,  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying.  This  is  My  beloved  Son, 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

"//(?  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a  dove:'  The  dove 
has  ever  been  the  chosen  type  of  purity,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
holiness  itself.  Where  He  cometh,  everything  that  is  pure  and 
lovely,  and  of  good  report,  is  made  to  abound,  and  sin  and  un- 
cleanness  depart.  Peace  reigns  also  where  the  Holy  Dove  comes 
with  power ;  He  bears  the  olive  branch  which  shows  that  the 
waters  of  divine  wrath  are  assuaged.  Gentleness  is  a  sure  result 
of  the  Sacred  Dove's  transforming  power :  hearts  touched  by  His 
benign  influence  are  meek  and  lowly  henceforth  and  forever. 
Harnilessness  follows,  as  a  matter  of  course ;  eagles  and  ravens 
may  hunt  their  prey — the  turtle-dove  can  endure  wrong,  but  can- 
not inflict  it.  We  must  be  harmless  as  doves.  The  dove  is  an 
apt  picture  of  love,  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  full  of  affection ; 
and  so,  the  soul  visited  by  the  blessed  Spirit  abounds  in  love  to 
God,  in  love  to  the  brethren,  and  in  love  to  sinners ;  and,  above  all, 
in  love  to  Jesus. 

Expand  Thy  wings,  celestial  Dove, 

Brood  o'er  our  nature's  night. 
On  our  disordered  spirits  move. 

And  let  there  now  be  light. 

God,  through  Himself,  we  then  shall  know, 

If   Thou   within   us    shine ; 
And  sound,  with  all  Thy  saints  below. 

The  depths  of  love  divine. 


298  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  for  another  day  of  mercy,  even  though  I 
am  now  weary  with  its  toils.  Unto  the  Preserver  of  men  lift  I  my 
song  of  gratitude.  The  dove  found  no  rest  out  of  the  ark,  and 
therefore  returned  to  it;  and  my  soul  has  learned  yet  more  fully 
than  ever,  this  day,  that  there  is  no  satisfaction  to  be  found  in 
earthly  things — God  alone  can  give  rest  to  my  spirit.  As  to  my 
business,  my  possessions,  my  family,  my  attainments,  these  are  all 
well  enough  in  their  way,  but  they  cannot  fulfill  the  desires  of  my 
immortal  nature.  "Return  unto  thy  rest,  O  my  soul,  for  the  Lord 
hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee."  It  was  at  the  still  hour,  when 
the  gates  of  the  day  were  closing,  that  with  weary  wing  the  dove 
came  back  to  her  master :  O  Lord,  enable  me  this  evening  thus  to 
return  to  Jesus.  She  could  not  endure  to  spend  a  night  hovering 
over  the  restless  waste,  nor  can  I  bear  to  be  even  for  another  hour 
away  from  Jesus,  the  rest  of  my  heart,  the  home  of  my  spirit. 
She  did  not  merely  alight  upon  the  roof  of  the  ark,  she  "came  in 
to  him"  ;  even  so  would  my  longing  spirit  look  into  the  secret  of  the 
Lord,  pierce  to  the  interior  of  truth,  enter  into  that  which  is 
within  the  veil,  and  reach  to  my  Beloved  in  every  deed.  To 
Jesus  must  I  come:  short  of  the  nearest  and  dearest  intercourse 
with  Him  my  panting  spirit  cannot  stay.  Blessed  Lord  Jesus,  be 
with  me,  reveal  Thyself,  and  abide  with  me  all  night,  so  that  when 
I  awake,  I  may  be  still  with  Thee.  I  note  that  the  dove  brought 
in  her  mouth  an  olive  branch  plucked  off,  the  memorial  of  the 
past  day,  and  a  prophecy  of  the  future.  Llave  I  no  pleasing  record 
to  bring  home?  No  pledge  and  earnest  of  loving-kindness  yet 
to  come  ?  Yes,  my  Lord,  I  present  Thee  my  grateful  acknowledge- 
ments for  tender  mercies  which  have  been  new  every  morning 
and  fresh  every  evening;  and  now,  I  pray  Thee,  put  forth  Thy 
hand  and  take  Thy  dove  into  Thy  bosom. 


JESUS  WAS  TEMPTED  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


M  I  X  D     A  N  D     F  AIT  H     C  U  RE.  301 

JESUS  WAS  TEMPTED  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 
(luke  4:1-4.) 

''And  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  returned  from  Jordan, 
and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness. 

"Being  forty  days  tempted  of  the  Devil.  And  in  those  days 
He  did  eat  nothing;  and  when  they  were  ended,  He  afterward 
hungered. 

"And  the  Devil  said  unto  Him,  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
command  this  stone  that  it  be  made  bread. 

"And  Jesus  answered  him,  saying,  It  is  written,  that  man  shall 
not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  of  God." 

A  holy  character  does  not  avert  temptation — Jesus  was 
tempted.  When  Satan  tempts  us,  his  sparks  fall  upon  tinder; 
but  in  Christ's  case,  it  was  like  striking  sparks  on  water ;  yet  the 
enemy  continued  his  evil  work.  Now  if  the  Devil  goes  on  striking 
when  there  is  no  result,  how  much  more  will  he  do  it  when  lie 
knows  what  inflammable  stui¥  our  hearts  are  made  of  !  Though  you 
become  greatly  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  expect  that  the  great 
dog  of  hell  will  bark  at  you  still. 

Your  hearts  may  glow  with  a  seraphic  flame  of  love  to  Jesus, 
and  yet  the  Devil  will  try  to  bring  you  down  to  Laodicean  luke- 
warmness.  If  you  will  tell  me  when  God  permits  a  Christian  to 
lay  aside  his  armor,  I  will  tell  you  when  Satan  has  left  oft  temp- 
tation. Like  the  old  knights  in  war  time,  we  must  sleep  with 
helmet  and  breastplate  buckled  on,  for  the  arch-deceiver  will  seize 
our  first  unguarded  hour  to  make  us  his  prey. 

Since  the  first  hour  in  which  goodness  came  into  conflict  with 
evil,  it  has  never  ceased  to  be  true  in  spiritual  experience,  that 
Satan  hinders  us.  From  all  points  of  the  compass,  all  along  the 
line  of  battle,  in  the  vanguard  and  in  the  rear,  at 
the  dawn  of  day  and  in  the  midnight  hour,  Satan 
hinders  us.  If  we  toil  in  the  field,  he  seeks  to  break  the 
ploughshare  ;  if  we  build  the  wall,  he  labors  to  cast  down  the 
stones ;  if  we  would  serve  God  in  suffering  or  in  conflict,  everv- 
where  Satan  hinders  us.  He  hinders  us  when  we  are  first  coming 
to  Jesus  Christ.  Fierce  conflicts  we  had  with  Satan  when  we 
first  looked  to  the  cross  and  lived.    Satan  is  sure  to  hinder  us  when 


302  DIVINE     HEALING. 

we  are  earnest  in  prayer.  He  checks  our  importunity,  and  weakens 
our  faith,  in  order  that,  if  possible,  we  may  miss  the  blessing. 
Nor  is  Satan  less  vigilant  in  obstructing  Christian  effort.  There 
was  never  a  revival  of  religion  without  a  revival  of  his  opposition. 
We  are  not  alarmed  because  Satan  hindereth  us,  for  it  is  a  proof 
that  we  are  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  are  doing  the  Lord's  work, 
and  in  His  strength  we  shall  win  the  victory,  and  triumph  over 
our  adversary. 

Perseverance  is  the  badge  of  true  saints.  The  Christian  life 
is  not  a  beginning  only  in  the  ways  of  God,  but  also  a  continuance 
in  the  same  as  long  as  life  lasts.  Satan  will  make  many  a  fierce 
attack  on  your  perseverance ;  it  will  be  the  mark  for  all  his 
arrows.  He  will  strive  to  hinder  you  in  service;  he  will  insinuate 
that  you  are  doing  no  good,  and  that  you  want  rest.  He  will 
endeavor  to  make  you  weary  of  suffering.  He  will  whisper, 
"Curse  God,  and  die."  Or  he  will  attack  your  steadfastness: 
''What  is  the  good  of  being  so  zealous?  Be  quiet,  like  the  rest; 
sleep  as  do  others,  and  let  your  lamp  go  out,  as  the  other  virgins 
do."  Or  he  will  assail  your  doctrinal  sentiments:  "Why  do  you 
hold  to  these  denominational  creeds?  Sensible  men  are  getting 
more  liberal ;  they  are  removing  the  old  landmarks  ;  fall  in  with  the 
times."  Wear  your  shield.  Christian,  therefore,  close  upon  your 
armor,  and  cry  mightily  unto  God,  that  by  His  Spirit  you  may 
endure  to  the  end. 


JESUS  PREACHING  HIS  FIRST  SERMON. 
(LUKE  4:16-21.) 

"And  He  came  to  Nazareth,  where  He  had  been  brought  up : 
and,  as  His  custom  was.  He  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read. 

"And  there  was  delivered  unto  Him  a  book  of  the  prophet 
Esaias.  And  when  He  had  opened  the  book,  He  found  the  place 
where  it  was  written, 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor ;  He  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the 
broken  hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recover- 
ing of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 

"To  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 


MI^D     AND     FAITH     CURE.  303 

''And  He  closed  the  book,  and  He  gave  it  again  to  the  minister, 
and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  them  that  were  in  the  synagogue 
were  fastened  on  Him. 

''And  He  began  to  say  unto  them.  This  day  is  this  scripture 
fulfilled  in  your  ears." 

This  unrivalled  tutor  used  as  His  class-book  the  best  of  books. 
Although  able  to  reveal  fresh  truth.  He  preferred  to  expound 
the  old.  He  knew  by  His  omniscience  what  was  the  most  in- 
structive way  of  teaching,  and  by  turning  at  once  to  Moses  and 
the  prophets.  He  showed  us  that  the  surest  road  to  wisdom  is  not 
speculation,  reasoning,  or  reading  human  books,  but  meditation 
upon  the  Word  of  God.  The  readiest  way  to  be  spiritually  rich  in 
heavenly  knowledge  is  to  dig  in  this  mine  of  diamonds,  to  gather 
pearls  from  this  heavenly  sea.  When  Jesus  Himself  sought  to 
enrich  others,  He  wrought  in  the  quarry  of  Holy  scripture. 

The  favored  pair  were  led  to  consider  the  best  of  subjects,  for 
Jesus  spake  of  Jesus,  and  expounded  the  things  concerning  Him- 
self. Here  the  diamond  cut  the  diamond,  and  what  could  be  more 
admirable?  The  Master  of  the  House  unlocked  His  own  doors, 
conducted  the  guests  to  His  table,  and  placed  His  own  dainties 
upon  it.  He  who  hid  the  treasure  in  the  field.  Himself  guided  the 
searchers  to  it.  Our  Lord  would  naturally  discourse  upon  the 
sweetest  of  topics,  and  He  could  find  none  sweeter  than  His  own 
person  and  work :  with  an  eye  to  these  we  should  always  search 
the  Word.  Oh,  for  grace  to  study  the  Bible  with  Jesus  as  both 
our  teacher  and  our  lesson  ! 

The  Savior  was  "a  man  of  sorrows,"  but  every  thoughtful  mind 
has  discovered  the  fact  that  down  deep  in  His  innermost  soul  He 
carried  an  inexhaustible  treasury  of  refined  and  heavenly  joy.  Of 
all  the  human  race,  there  was  never  a  man  who  had  a  deeper, 
purer,  or  more  abiding  peace  than  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "He 
was  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  His  fellows."  His 
vast  benevolence  must,  from  the  very  nature  of  things,  have  af- 
forded Him  the  deepest  possible  delight,  for  benevolence  is  joy. 

Believer,  you  can  bear  your  testimony  that  Christ  is  the  only  be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  as  well  as  the  first  begotten  from  the  dead. 
You  can  say,  "He  is  divine  to  me,  if  He  be  human  to  all  the  world 
beside.  He  has  done  that  for  me  which  none  but  a  God  could  do. 
He  has  subdued  my  stubborn  will,  melted  a  heart  of  adamant, 
opened  gates  of  brass,  and  snapped  bars  of  iron.  He  hath  turned 
for  me  my  mourning  into  laughter,  and  my  desolation  into  joy ; 
He  hath   led  my  captivity  captive,  and  made   my  heart   rejoice 


304  Dir  IN  E     HE  A  L  IN  G. 

with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  Let  others  think  as  they 
will  of  Him,  to  me  He  must  be  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father : 
blessed  be  His  name.  And  He  is  full  of  grace.  Ah !  had  He  not 
been,  I  should  never  have  been  saved.  He  drew  me  when  I  strug- 
gled to  escape  from  His  grace ;  and  when  at  last  I  came  all 
trembling  like  a  condemned  culprit  to  His  mercy-seat.  He  said. 
*Thy  sins,  which  are  many,  are  all  forgiven  thee :  be  of  good  cheer.' 
And  He  is  /////  of  truth.  True  have  His  promises  been ;  not  one 
has  failed.  I  bear  witness  that  never  servant  had  such  a  master 
as  I  have ;  never  brother  such  a  kinsman  as  He  has  been  to  me : 
never  spouse  such  a  husband  as  Christ  has  been  to  my  soul ;  never 
sinner  a  better  Savior ;  never  mourner  a  better  comforter  than 
Christ  hath  been  to  my  spirit.  I  want  none  beside  Him.  In  life  He 
is  my  life,  and  in  death  He  shall  be  the  death  of  death ;  in  poverty 
Christ  is  my  riches ;  in  sickness  He  makes  my  bed  ;  in  darkness  He 
is  my  star,  and  in  brightness  He  is  my  sun ;  He  is  the  manna  of  the 
camp  in  the  wilderness,  and  He  shall  be  the  new  corn  of  the  host 
when  they  come  to  Canaan.  Jesus  is  to  me  all  grace  and  no  wrath, 
all  truth  and  no  falsehood :  and  of  truth  and  grace  He  is  full,  in- 
finitely full." 

Believer,  do  you  recollect  the  day  when  your  fetters  fell  off'^ 
Do  you  remember  the  place  when  Jesus  met  you,  and  said,  "I  have 
loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love ;  I  have  blotted  out  as  a  cloud 
thy  transgressions,  and  as  a  thick  cloud  thy  sins ;  they  shall  not  be 
mentioned  against  thee  any  more  forever''  ?  Oh !  what  a  sweet 
season  is  that  when  Jesus  takes  away  the  pain  of  sin !  When  the 
Lord  first  pardoned  my  sin,  I  was  so  joyous  that  I  could  scare 
refrain  from  dancing.  I  thought  on  my  road  home  from  the 
house  where  I  had  been  set  at  liberty,  that  I  must  tell  the  stones  in 
the  street  the  story  of  my  deliverance.  So  full  was  my  soul  of 
joy,  that  I  wanted  to  tell  every  snow-flake  that  was  falling  from 
heaven,  of  the  wondrous  love  of  Jesus,  who  had  blotted  out  the  sins 
of  one  of  the  chief  of  rebels.  But  it  is  not  only  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Christian  life  that  believers  have  reason  for  song ;  as 
long  as  they  live  they  discover  cause  to  sing  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord,  and  their  experience  of  His  constant  loving  kindness  leads 
them  to  say,  "I  will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times:  His  praise  shall 
continually  be  in  my  mouth."  See  to  it,  brother,  that  thou  magni- 
fiest  the  Lord  this  day. 

"Long  as  we  tread  this  desert  land, 
New  mercies  shall  new  songs  demand." 


THE  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  307 

THE  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 

(matt.  5:9.) 

"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God." 

This  is  the  seventh  of  the  beatitudes :  and  seven  was  the  num- 
ber of  perfection  among  the  Hebrews.  It  may  be  that  the  Savior 
placed  the  peacemaker  the  seventh  upon  the  list  because  He  most 
nearly  approaches  the  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  who  would 
have  perfect  blessedness,  so  far  as  it  can  be  enjoyed  on  earth,  must 
attain  to  this  seventh  benediction,  and  become  a  peacemaker. 

However  peaceful  we  may  be  in  this  world,  yet  we  shall  be 
misrepresented  and  misunderstood ;  and  no  marvel,  for  even  the 
Prince  of  Peace  by  His  very  peacefulness  brought  fire  upon  the 
earth.  He  himself,  though  He  loved  mankind,  and  did  no  ill,  was 
"despised  and  rejected  of  men ;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief."  Lest,  therefore,  the  peaceable  in  heart  should  be 
surprised  when  they  meet  with  enemies,  it  is  added  in  the  following 
verse,  "Blessed  are  they  which"-are  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake :  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Thus  the  peacemakers 
are  not  only  pronounced  to  be  blessed,  but  they  are  compassed 
about  with  blessings. 

Humiliation  of  soul  always  brings  a  positive  blessing  with  it. 
If  we  empty  our  hearts  of  self,  God  will  fill  them  with  His  love.  He 
who  desires  close  communion  with  Christ,  should  remember  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  "To  this  man  will  I  look,  even  to  him  that  is 
poor  and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembleth  at  My  word."  Stoop 
if  you  would  climb  to  heaven.  Do  we  not  say  of  Jesus,  "He 
descended  that  He  might  ascend"  ?  So  must  you.  You  must  grow 
downwards,  that  you  may  grow  upwards ;  for  the  sweetest  fellow- 
ship with  heaven  is  to  be  had  by  humble  souls,  and  by  them 
alone.  God  will  deny  no  blessing  to  a  thoroughly  humbled  spirit. 
"Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,"  with  all  its  riches  and  treasures.  The  whole  exchequer 
of  God  shall  be  made  over  by  deed  of  gift  to  the  soul  which  is 
humble  enough  to  be  able  to  receive  it  without  growing  proud  be- 
cause of  it.  God  blesses  us  all  up  to  the  full  measure  and  extremity 
of  what  is  safe  for  Him  to  do.  If  you  do  not  get  a  blessing,  it  is 
because  it  is  not  safe  for  you  to  have  one.  If  our  heavenly  Father 
were  to  let  your  unhumbled  spirit  win  a  victory  in  His  holy  war, 
you  would  pilfer  the  crown  for  yourself,  and  meeting  with  a  fresh 


308  DIVINE     HEALING. 

enemy  you  would  fall  a  victim ;  so  that  you  are  kept  low  for 
your  own  safety.  When  a  man  is  sincerely  humble,  and  never 
ventures  to  touch  so  much  as  a  grain  of  the  praise,  there  is 
scarcely  any  limit  to  what  God  will  do  for  him.  Humility  makes 
us  ready  to  be  blessed  by  the  God  of  all  grace,  and  fits  us  to  deal 
efficiently  with  our  fellow-men.  True  humility  is  a  flower  which  will 
adorn  any  garden.  This  is  a  sauce  with  which  you  may  season 
every  dish  of  life,  and  you  will  find  an  improvement  in  every  case. 
Whether  it  be  prayer  or  praise,  whether  it  be  work  or  suffering, 
the  genuine  salt  of  humility  cannot  be  used  in  excess. 


STRAIGHTWAY  THEY  FORSOOK  THEIR  NETS  AND 
FOLLOWED  HIM. 

(mark  1:1G-18.) 

"Now  as  He  walked  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  He  saw  Simon  and 
Andrew,  his  brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea :  for  they  were 
fishers. 

''And  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make 
you  to  become  fishers  of  men. 

"And  straightway  they  forsook  their  nets,  and  followed  Him.'' 

When  they  heard  the  call  of  Jesus,  Simon  and  Andrew 
obeyed  at  once  without  demur.  If  we  would  always,  punctually 
and  with  resolute  zeal,  put  in  practice  what  we  hear  upon  the 
spot,  or  at  the  first  fit  occasion,  our  attendance  at  the  means  of 
grace,  and  our  reading  of  good  books,  could  not  fail  to  enrich  us 
spiritually.  He  will  not  lose  his  loaf  who  has  taken  care  at  once 
to  eat  it ;  neither  can  he  be  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  the  doctrine 
who  has  already  acted  upon  it.  Most  readers  and  hearers  become 
moved  so  far  as  to  purpose  to  amend ;  but,  alas !  the  proposal  is  a 
blossom  which  has  not  been  knit,  and  therefore  no  fruit  comes  of 
it ;  they  wait,  they  waver,  and  then  they  forget,  till,  like  the  ponds 
in  nights  of  frost,  when  the  sun  shines  by  day,  they  are  only 
thawed  in  time  to  be  frozen  again.  That  fatal  tomorrow  is  blood- 
red  with  the  murder  of  fair  resolutions ;  it  is  the  slaughter-house 
of  the  innocents.  We  are  very  concerned  that  our  book  should 
not  be  fruitless,  and  therefore  we  pray  that  readers  may  not  be 
readers  only,  but  doers  of  the  word.  The  practice  of  truth  is  the 
most  profitable  reading  of  it.    Should  the  reader  be  impressed  with 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  309 

any  duty  while  perusing  these  pages,  let  him  hasten  to  fulfill  it  be- 
fore the  holy  glow  has  departed  from  his  soul,  and  let  him  leave  his 
nets,  and  all  that  he  has,  sooner  than  be  found  rebellious  to  the 
Master's  call.  Do  not  give  place  to  the  Devil  by  delay !  Haste 
while  opportunity  and  quickening  are  .in  happy  conjunction.  Do 
not  be  caught  in  your  own  nets,  but  break  the  meshes  of  worldli- 
ness,  and  away  where  glory  calls  you.  Happy  is  the  writer  who 
shall  meet  with  readers  resolved  to  carry  out  his  teachings:  his 
harvest  shall  be  a  hundred  fold,  and  his  Master  shall  have 
great  honor.  Would  to  God  that  such  might  be  our  reward  upon 
these  brief  meditations  and  hurried  hints.  Grant  it,  O  Lord,  unto 
Thy  servant ! 


THE  ORDAINING  OF  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 
(mark  3:13-15.) 

"And  He  goeth  up  into  a  mountain,  and  calleth  tmto  Him 
whom  He  would :  and  they  came  unto  Him. 

''And  He  ordained  twelve,  that  they  should  be  with  Him,  and 
that  He  might  send  them  forth  to  preach, 

"And  to  have  power  to  heal  sicknesses,  and  to  cast  out  devils." 
(LUKE  9:1-11.) 

"Then  He  called  His  twelve  disciples  together,  and  gave  them 
power  and  authority  over  all  devils,  and  to  cure  diseases. 

"And  he  sent  them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  to  heal 
the  sick. 

"And  He  said  unto  them.  Take  nothing  for  your  journey, 
neither  staves,  nor  script,  neither  bread,  neither  money;  neither 
have  two  coats  apiece. 

"And  whatsoever  house  ye  enter  into,  there  abide,  and  thence 
depart. 

"And  whosoever  will  not  receive  you,  when  ye  go  out  of  that 
city,  shake  off  the  very  dust  from  your  feet  for  a  testimony  against 
them. 

"And  they  departed,  and  went  through  the  towns,  preaching 
the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere." 

"Now  Herod,  the  tetrarch,  heard  of  all  that  was  done  by  Him : 
and  he  was  perplexed,  because  that  it  was  said  of  some,  that  John 
was  risen  from  the  dead ; 


310  DIVINE     HEALING. 

"And  of  some,  that  Elias  had  appeared ;  and  of  others,  that  one 
of  the  old  prophets  was  risen  again. 

"And  Herod  said,  John  have  I  beheaded ;  but  who  is  this  of 
whom   I  hear  such  things?     And  he  desired  to  see  Him. 

"And  the  apostles,  when  they  were  returned,  told  Him  all 
that  they  had  done.  And  He  took  them.,  and  went  aside  privately 
into  a  desert  place,  belonging  to  the  city  called  Bethsaida. 

''And  the  people,  when  they  knew  it,  followed  Him :  and  He 
received  them,  and  spake  unto  them  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
healed  them  that  had  need  of  healing." 


See,  Jesus,  Thy  disciples  see. 
The  promised  blessing  give ! 

Met  in  Thy  name,  we  look  to  Thee, 
Expecting  to  receive. 

Thee  we  expect,  our  faithful  Lord, 
Who  in  Thy  name  are  joined ; 

We  wait,  according  to  Thy  word. 
Thee  in  the  midst  to  find. 

With  us  Thou  art  assembled  here. 

But  O  Thyself  reveal ! 
Son  of  the  living  God,  appear! 

Let  us  thy  presence  feel. 

Breathe  on  us.  Lord,  in  this  our  day, 
And  these  dry  bones  shall  live  ; 

Speak  peace  into  our  hearts,  and  say, 
'The  Holy  Ghost  receive." 

Whom  now  we  seek,  O  may  we  meet ! 

Jesus,  the  cfucified. 
Show  us  Thy  bleeding  hands  and  feet, 

Thou  who  for  us  hast  died. 

Cause  us  the  record  to  receive, 
Speak,  and  the  tokens  show ; 

''O  be  not  faithless,  but  believe 
In  Me,  who  died  for  you !" 


CHRIST'S  ENTRY   INTO  JP:RUSALEM. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  SIS 

CHRIST'S  ENTRY  INTO  JERUSALEM. 

(LUKE  19:35-38.) 

"And  they  brought  him  to  Jesus :  and  they  cast  their  garments 
upon  the  colt,  and  they  set  Jesus  thereon. 

''And  as  He  went,  they  spread  their  clothes  in  the  way. 

"And  when  He  was  come  nigh,  even  now  at  the  descent  of  the 
mount  of  Olives,  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples  began  to 
rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a  loud  voice  for  all  the  mighty  works 
that  they  had  seen ; 

"Saying,  Blessed  be  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord :  peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the  highest." 


CORONATION. 

All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name ! 

Let  angels  prostrate  fall ; 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 

Ye  chosen  seed  of  Israel's  race, 
Ye  ransom'd  from  the  fall, 

Hail  Him  who  saves  you  by  His  grace. 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 

Sinners,  whose  love  can  ne'er  forget 
The  wormwood  and  the  gall. 

Go,  spread  your  trophies  at  His  feet, 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 

Let  every  kindred,  every  tribe, 

On  this  terrestrial  ball. 
To  Him  all  majesty  ascribe, 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 

O  that  with  yonder  sacred  throng 
We  at  His  feet  may  fall; 

We'll  join  the  everlasting  song, 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 


314  DIVINE     HEALING. 

NOT  ASHAMED  OF  JESUS. 

(mark  8:38.) 

"Whosoever  therefore  shall  be  ashamed  of  Me  and  of  My 
words,  in  this  adulterous  and  sinful  generation,  of  him  also  shall 
the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed,  when  He  cometh  in  the  glory  of  His 
Father  with  the  holy  angels." 

Jesus,  and  shall  it  ever  be 
A  mortal  man  ashamed  of  Thee, 
Ashamed  of  Thee,  whom  angels  praise. 
Whose  glory  shines  through  endless  days. 

Ashamed  of  Jesus,  sooner  far 
Let  evening  blush  to  own  a  star. 
He  sheds  the  beams  of  light  divine 
O'er  this  benighted  soul  of  mine. 

Ashamed  of  Jesus,  just  as  soon 
Let  midnight  be  ashamed  of  noon. 
'Tis  midnight  with  my  soul  till  He, 
Bright  Morning  Star,  bid  darkness  flee. 

Ashamed  of  Jesus,  that  dear  Friend 
On  whom  my  hopes  of  heaven  depend  ? 
No,  when  I  blush  be  this  my  shame, 
That  I  no  more  revere  His  name. 

Ashamed   of   Jesus?      Yes,    I    may 
When  Fve  no  guilt  to  wash  away. 
No  tear  to  wipe,  no  good  to  crave. 
No  fears  to  quell,  no  soul  to  save. 

'Till  then,  nor  is  my  boast  in  vain, 
'Till  then  I  boast  a  Savior  slain, 
And,  oh,  may  this  my  glory  be, 
That  Christ  is  not  ashamed  of  me. 


JESUS  AND  THE  WOMAN  OF  SAMARIA. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  317 

JESUS  AND  THE  WOMAN  OF  SAMARIA. 

(JOHN  4:8-26.) 

Journeying  from  Judea  into  Galilee,  Jesus  passed  through 
Samaria,  and,  being  weary,  sat  down  alone  at  Jacob's  well,  His 
disciples  having  gone  to  the  city  (Sychar)  to  buy  meat.  A  wo- 
man came  forth  from  the  city  to  draw  water  at  the  well,  and  Jesus 
said  unto  her, 

"Give  Me  to  drink.  (For  His  disciples  were  gone  away  unto 
the  city  to  buy  meat.) 

"Then  saith  the  woman  of  Samaria  unto  Him,  How  is  it  that 
Thou,  being  a  Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  which  am  a  woman  of 
Samaria  ?  for  the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  the  Samaritans. 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her.  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of 
God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee.  Give  me  to  drink,  thou 
wouldst  have  asked  of  Him,  and  He  would  have  given  thee  living 
water. 

"The  woman  saith  unto  Him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw" 
with,  and  the  well  is  deep :  from  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living 
water  ? 

"Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the 
well,  and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  children,  and  his  cattle  ? 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this 
water,  shall  thirst  again, 

"But  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him, 
shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him;  shall  be  in 
him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life. 

"The  woman  saith  unto  Him,  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I 
thirst  not,  neither  come  hither  to  draw. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither. 

"The  woman  answered  and  said,  I  have  no  husband.  Jesus 
said  unto  her,  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  hav^  no  husband : 

"For  thou  hast  had  five  husbands ;  and  he  whom  thou  now  hast 
is  not  thy  husband :  in  that  saidst  thou  truly. 

"The  woman  saith  unto  Him,  Sir,  I  perceive  that  Thou  art  a 
prophet. 

"Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain ;  and  ye  say,  that 
in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  believe  Me,  the  hour  cometh. 


318  DIVIX  E     EEALIXG. 

when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  movintain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  wor- 
ship the  Father. 

''But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth :  for  the  Father 
seeketh  such  to  worship  Him. 

"God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they  that  worship  Him  must  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

"The  woman  saith  unto  Him,  I  know  that  Messias  cometh, 
which  is  called  Christ :  when  He  is  come,  He  will  tell  us  all  things. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  He." 

This  incident,  so  vividly  and  forcibly  rendered  by  the  evangel- 
ist, receives  an  exquisite  setting  in  the  picture  before  us,  well  suited 
in  its  poetic  quality  to  the  measured  grace  and  dignity  of  the  text. 
It  is  high  noon,  and  the  whole  scene  is  bathed  in  meridian  splendor. 
Stillness  has  crept  over  earth  and  sky,  but  the  air  vibrates  with  its 
fullness  of  warmth.  A  weary  figure,  with  calm,  unworldly  coun- 
tenance, sits  at  the  well.  Leaning  upon  its  curb,  a  woman  who  has 
come  forth  from  the  city  light-hearted  enough  even  to  converse 
with  a  Jew,  lingers,  arrested,  subdued  and  sobered  by  the  quicken- 
ing force  of  His  speech,  for  here  is  a  stranger,  who  not  only  has 
told  her  all  things  she  ever  did,  but  has  opened  before  her  bright 
vistas  of  joy  and  holiness  and  peace. 

THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  LIVING  WATERS. 

A  fountain  of  life  and  of  grace 

In  Christ,  our  Redeemer,  we  see : 
For  us,  who  His  offers  embrace, 

For  all,  it  is  open  and  free : 
Jehovah,  Himself,  doth  invite 

To  drink  of  His  pleasures  unknow^n  : 
The   streams    of    immortal    delight. 

That  flow  from  His  heavenly  throne. 

As  soon  as  in  Him  we  believe. 

By  faith  of  His  Spirit  we  take : 
And,    freely   forgiven,   receive 

The  mercy  for  Jesus'  sake ! 
We  gain  a  pure  drop  of  His  love ; 

The  life  of  eternity  know  ; 
Angelical  happiness  prove, 

And  witness  a  heaven  below. 


A  WOMAN  ANOINTETH  THE  FEET  OF  JFSUS. 


M  IN  D     AN  D     F  A  [TH     CURE.  321 

A  WOMAN  ANOINTETH  THE  FEET  OF  JESUS. 
(LUKE  7:36-48.) 

''And  one  of  the  Pharisees  desired  Him  that  He  would  eat  with 
him.  And  He  went  into  the  Pharisee's  house,  and  sat  down  to 
meat. 

"And  behold,  a  woman  in  the  city,  which  was  a  sinner,  when 
she  knew  that  Jes^is  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  brought 
an  alabaster-box  of  ointment, 

''And  stood  at  His  feet  behind  Him  weeping,  and  began  to 
wash  His  feet  with  tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of 
her  head,  and  kissed  His  feet,  and  anointed  them  with  ointment. 

"Now  when  the  Pharisee  which  had  bidden  Him,  saw  it,  he 
spake  within  himself,  saying.  This  man,  if  He  were  a  prophet, 
would  have  known  who,  and  what  manner  of  woman  this  is  that 
toucheth  Him :  for  she  is  a  sinner. 

"And  Jesus  answering,  said  unto  him,  Simon,  I  have  some- 
what to  say  unto  thee.     And  he  saith.  Master,  say  on. 

"And  He  turned  to  the  woman,  and  5aid  unto  Simon,  Seest 
thou  this  woman?  I  entered  into  thine  house,  thou  gavest  Me 
no  water  for  My  feet ;  but  she  hath  washed  My  feet  with  tears, 
and  wiped  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head. 

"Thou  gavest  Me  no  kiss :  but  this  woman,  since  the  time  I 
came  in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  My  feet. 

"Mine  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint :  but  this  woman 
hath  anointed  My  feet  with  ointment. 

Wherefore,  I  say  unto  thee.  Her  sins,  which  are  many,  are 
forgiven ;  for  she  loved  much :  but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the 
same  loveth  little. 

"And  He  said  unto  her.  Thy  sins  are  forgiven." 


THE  BOX  OF  SPIKENARD. 

She  loved  her  Savior,  and  to  Him 
Her  costliest  present  brought ; 

To  crown  His  head,  or  grace  His  name, 
No  gift  too  rare  she  thought. 


322  DIVINE     HEALING. 

So  let  the  Savior  be  adored, 

And  not  the  poor  despised  ; 
Give  to  the  hungry  from  your  hoard, 

But  all,  give  all  to  Christ. 

Go,  clothe  the  naked,  lead  the  blind, 

Give  to  the  weary  rest ; 
For  sorrow's  children  comfort  find, 

And  help  for  all  distressed  ; 

But  give  to  Christ  alone  thy  heart, 

Thy  faith,  thy  love  supreme ; 
Then  for  His  sake  thine  alms  impart. 

And  so  give  all  to  Him. 

William  Cutter. 


Behold  one  of  the  great  Physician's  mightiest  arts :  He  has 
power  to  forgive  sin !  While  here  He  lived  below,  before  the 
ransom  had  been  paid,  before  the  blood  had  been  literally  sprinkled 
on  the  mercy-seat,  He  had  power  to  forgive  sin.  Hath  He  not 
power  to  do  it  now  that  He  hath  died  ?  What  power  must  dwell 
in  Him  who  to  the  utmost  farthing  has  faithfully  discharged  the 
debts  of  His  people !  He  has  boundless  power  now  that  He  has 
finished  transgression  and  made  an  end  of  sin.  If  ye  doubt  it,  see 
Him  rising  from  the  dead !  Behold  Him  in  ascending  splendor 
raised  to  the  right  hand  of  God !  Hear  Him  pleading  before  the 
eternal  Father,  pointing  to  His  wounds,  urging  the  merit  of  His 
sacred  passion !  What  power  to  forgive  is  here !  "He  hath 
ascended  on  high,  and  received  gifts  for  men."  "He  is  exalted  on 
high  to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins."  The  most  crimson 
sins  are  removed  bv  the  crimson  of  His  blood. 


Jesus,  Master,  hear  my  cry  ; 

Save  me,  heal  me  with  a  word  ; 
Fainting  at  Thy  feet  I  lie. 

Thou  my  whispered  plaint  hast  heard. 


'SUFFER  LITTLE  CHILDREN  TO  COME  UNTO  ME. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  325 

SUFFER  LITTLE  CHILDREN  TO  COME  UNTO  ME. 
(mark  10:13-16.) 

See,  Israel's  gentle  Shepherd  stands 

With  all-engaging  charms ; 
Hark,  how  He  calls  the  tender  lambs. 

And  folds  them  in  His  arms. 

Permit  them  to  approach,  he  cries, 

Nor  scorn  their  humble  name; 
For  'twas  to  bless  such  souls  as  these 

The  Lord  of  angels  came. 

We  bring  them,  Lord,  in  thankful  hands, 

And  yield  them  up  to  Thee; 
Joyful  that  we  ourselves  are  Thine, 

Thine  let  our  offspring  be. 


*'And  they  brought  young  children  to  Him,  that  He  should 
touch  them ;  and  His  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them. 

''But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  He  was  much  displeased,  and  said  un- 
to them.  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come -unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  king- 
dom of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein. 

''And  He  took  them  up  in  His  arms,  and  put  His  hands  upon 
them,  and  blessed  them." 


I  think,  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old. 
When  Jesus  was  here  among  men. 

How  He  call'd  little  children,  as  lambs  to  His  fold, 
I    should  like  to  have  been   with   Him   then. 

I  wish  that  His  hands  had  been  placed  on  my  head, 
That  His  arms  had  been  thrown  around  me. 

That  I  might  have  seen  His  kind  look  when  He  said, 
"Let  the  little  ones  come  unto  Me.'' 


326  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Yet  still  to  His  footstool  in  prayer  I  may  go, 
And  ask  for  a  share  in  His  love ; 

And  if  I  thus  earnestly  seek  Him  below, 
I  shall  see  Him  and  hear  Him  above. 

In  that  beautiful  place  He  has  gone  to  prepare 
For  all  who  are  wash'd  and  forgiven ; 

And  many  dear  children  are  gathering  there, 
"For  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 


CHRIST  TEACHETH  NICODEMUS  THE  NECESSITY  OF 
REDEMPTION. 

(JOHN  3:3-6.) 

*'Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

^'Nicodemus  saith  unto  Him,  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he 
is  old?  can  he  enter  the  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and 
be  born? 

"Jesus  answered.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man 
be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

"That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh  ;  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit." 

Regeneration  is  a  subject  which  lies  at  the  very  basis  of  salva- 
tion, and  we  should  be  very  diligent  to  take  heed  that  we  really  are 
"born  again,"  for  there  are  many  who  fancy  they  are,  who  are 
not.  Be  assured  that  the  name  of  a  Christian  is  not  the  nature  of 
a  Christian ;  and  that  being  born  in  a  Christian  land,  and  being 
recognized  as  professing  the  Christian  religion,  is  of  no  avail  what- 
ever, unless  there  be  something  more  added  to  it — the  being  "born 
again"  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  To  be  "born  again"  is  a 
matter  so  mysterious,  that  human  words  cannot  describe  it.  "The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof, 
but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth ;  so  is 
every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit."  Nevertheless,  it  is  a  change 
which  is  known  and  felt ;  known  by  the  works  of  holiness,  and  felt 
by  a  gracious  experience.  This  great  work  is  supernatural.  It  is 
not   an   operation   which   a   man   performs    for   himself:   a   new 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  327 

principle  is  infused,  which  works  in  the  heart,  renews  the  soul, 
and  affects  the  entire  man.  It  is  not  a  change  of  my  name,  but  a 
renewal  of  my  nature,  so  that  I  am  not  the  man  I  used  to  be,  but  a 
new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  To  wash  and  dress  a  corpse  is  a  far 
different  thing  from  making  it  alive :  a  man  can  do  the  one,  God 
alone  can  do  the  other.  If  you  have,  then,  been  "born  again,"  your 
acknowledgement  will  be,  "O  Lord  Jesus,  the  everlasting  Father, 
Thou  art  my  spiritual  Parent ;  unless  Thy  Spirit  had  breathed  into 
me  the  breath  of  a  new,  holy,  and  spiritual  life,  I  had  been  to  this 
day  'dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.'  My  heavenly  life  is  wholly  de- 
rived from  Thee,  to  Thee  I  ascribe  it.  'My  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God.'  It  is  no  longer  I  who  live,  but  Christ  who  liveth  in  me." 
May  the  Lord  enable  us  to  be  well  assured  on  this  vital  point,  for 
to  be  unregenerate  is  to  be  unsavisd,  unpardoned,  without  God, 
and  without  hope. 


A  BRUISED  REED  SHALL  HE  NOT  BREAK,  AND  SMOK- 
ING FLAX  SHALL  HE  NOT  QUENCFI. 

(matt.  12:20.) 

What  is  weaker  than  the  bruised  reed  or  the  smoking  flax? 
A  reed  that  groweth  in  the  fen  or  marsh,  let  but  the  wild  duck 
light  upon  it,  and  it  snaps ;  let  but  the  foot  of  man  brush  against 
it,  and  it  is  bruised  and  broken ;  every  wind  that  tlits  across  the 
river  moves  it  to  and  fro.  You  can  conceive  of  nothing  more 
frail  or  brittle,  or  whose  existence  is  more  in  jeopardy,  than  a 
bruised  reed.  Then  look  at  the  smoking  flax — what  is  it?  It  has 
a  spark  within  it,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  almost  smothered ;  an  infant's 
breath  might  blow  it  out ;  nothing  has  a  more  precarious  exist- 
ence than  its  flame.  Weak  things  are  here  described,  yet  Jesus 
says  of  them,  "The  smoking  flax  I  will  not  quench  ;  the  bruised 
reed  I  will  not  break."  Some  of  God's  children  are  made  strong 
to  do  mighty  works  for  Him  ;  God  has  Flis  Samsons  here  and 
there,  who  can  pull  up  Gaza's  gates,  and  carry  them  to  the  top  of 
the  hill ;  He  has  a  few  mighties  who  are  lion-like  men,  but  the 
majority  of  His  people  are  a  timid,  trembling  race.  They  are 
like  starlings,  frightened  at  every  passer-by :  a  little  fearful  flock. 
If  temptation  comes,  they  are  taken  like  birds  in  a  snare ;  if 
trial  threatens,  they  are  ready  to  faint ;  their  frail  skiff  is  tossed 


328  DIVINEHEALING. 

Up  and  down  by  every  wave,  they  are  drifted  along  like  a  sea- 
bird  on  the  crest  of  the  billows — weak  things,  without  strength, 
without  wisdom,  without  foresight.  Yet,  weak  as  they  are,  and 
because  they  are  so  weak,  they  have  this  promise  made  specially 
to  them.  Herein  is  grace  and  graciousness !  Herein  is  love  and 
loving  kindness !  How  it  opens  to  us  the  compassion  of  Jesus — 
so  gentle,  tender,  considerate !  We  need  never  shrink  back  from 
His  touch.  We  need  never  fear  a  harsh  word  from  Him;  though 
He  might  well  chide  us  for  our  weakness.  He  rebuketh  not. 
Bruised  reeds  shall  have  no  blows  from  Him,  and  the  smoking 
flax   no    damping   frowns. 


JESUS  STILLING  THE  TEMPEST. 


Of  THE 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUBE.  331 

JESUS  STILLING  THE  TEMPEST. 
(matt.  4:39-40.) 

*'And  He  arose,  and  rebuked  the  wind,  and  said  unto  the  sea, 
Peace,  be  still,  and  the  wind  ceased,  and  there  was  a  great  calm. 

"And  He  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  so  fearful  ?  how  is  it  that 
ye  have  no  faith?" 

Jesus  was  the  Lord  High  Admiral  of  the  sea  that  night,  and 
His  presence  preserved  the  whole  convoy.  It  is  well  to  sail  with 
Jesus,  even  though  it  be  in  a  little  ship.  When  we  sail  in  Christ's 
company,  we  may  not  make  sure  of  fair  weather,  for  great  storms 
may  toss  the  vessel  which  carries  the  Lord  Himself,  and  we  must 
not  expect  to  find  the  sea  less  boisterous  around  our  little  boat. 
If  we  go  with  Jesus  we  must  be  content  to  fare  as  He  fares ;  and 
when  the  waves  are  rough  to  Him,  they  will  be  rough  to  us.  It  is 
by  tempest  and  tossing  that  we  shall  come  to  land,  as  He  did  be- 
fore us. 

When  the  storm  swept  over  Galilee's  dark  lake,  all  faces 
gathered  blackness,  and  all  hearts  dreaded  shipwreck.  When  all 
creature-help  was  useless,  the  slumbering  Savior  arose,  and  with 
a  word  transformed  the  riot  of  the  tempest  into  the  deep  quiet  of 
a  calm ;  then  were  the  little  vessels  at  rest,  as  well  as  that  which 
carried  the  Lord.  Jesus  is  the  star  of  the  sea ;  and  though  there 
be  sorrow  upon  the  sea,  when  Jesus  is  on  it  there  is  joy,  too.  May 
our  hearts  make  Jesus  their  anchor,  their  rudder,  their  lighthouse, 
their  lifeboat,  and  their  harbor.  His  Church  is  the  Admiral's 
flagship ;  let  us  attend  her  movements,  and  cheer  her  officers  with 
our  presence.  He  Himself  is  the  great  attraction ;  let  us  follow 
ever  in  His  wake,  mark  His  signals,  steer  by  His  chart,  and  never 
fear  while  He  is  within  hail.  Not  one  ship  in  the  convoy  shall 
suffer  wreck  ;  the  great  Commodore  will  steer  every  bark  in  safety 
to  the  desired  haven.  By  faith  we  will  slip  our  cable  for  another 
day's  cruise,  and  sail  forth  with  Jesus  into  a  sea  of  tribulation. 
Winds  and  waves  will  not  spare  us,  but  they  all  obey  Him  ;  and, 
therefore,  whatever  squalls  may  occur  without,  faith  shall  feel  a 
blessed  calm  within.  He  is  ever  in  the  centre  of  the  weather- 
beaten  company  ;  let  us  rejoice  in  Him.  His  vessel  has  reached  the 
haven,  and  so  shall  ours. 


332  DIY  I  A  E     H  EALI  N  G  . 

The  Lord  Himself  will  keep 

His  people  safe  from  harm; 
Will  hold  the  helm  and  guide  the  ship 

With  His  almighty  arm. 

Then  let  the  tempest  roar, 

The  billows  heave  and  swell. 
We  trust  to  reach  the  peaceful  shore, 

Where  all  the  ransomed  dwell. 

Little  know  we  what  sorrow  may  be  upon  the  sea  at  this 
moment.  We  are  safe  in  our  quiet  chamber,  but  far  away  on 
the  salt  sea  the  hurricane  may  be  cruelly  seeking  for  the  lives  of 
men.  Hear  how  the  death  fiends  howl  among  the  cordage ;  how 
every  timber  starts  as  the  waves  beat  like  battering-rams  upon 
the  vessel !  God  help  you,  poor,  drenched,  and  wearied  ones  !  My 
prayer  goes  up  to  the  great  Lord  of  sea  and  land,  that  He  will 
make  the  storm  a  calm,  and  bring  you  to  your  desired  haven  !  Nor 
ought  I  to  offer  prayer  alone ;  I  should  try  to  benefit  those  hardy 
men  who  risk  their  lives  so  constantly.  Have  I  ever  done  anything 
for  them?  What  can  I  do?  How  often  does  the  boisterous  sea 
swallow  up  the  mariner !  Thousands  of  corpses  lie  where  pearJs 
lie  deep.  There  is  death-sorrow  on  the  sea,  which  is  echoed  in  the 
long  wail  of  widows  and  orphans.  The  salt  of  the  sea  is  in  many 
eyes  of  mothers  and  wives.  Remorseless  billows,  ye  have  devoured 
the  love  of  women  and  the  stay  of  households.  What  a  resurrec- 
tion shall  there  be  from  the  caverns  of  the  deep  when  the  sea  gives 
up  her  dead  !  Till  then  there  will  be  sorrow  on  the  sea.  As  if  in 
sympathy  with  the  woes  of  earth,  the  sea  is  forever  fretting  along 
a  thousand  shores,  wailing  with  a  sorrowful  cry  like  her  own  birds, 
booming  with  a  hollow  crash  of  unrest,  raving  with  uproarious  dis- 
content, chafing  with  hoarse  wrath,  or  jangling  with  the  voices  of 
ten  thousand  murmuring  pebbles.  The  roar  of  the  sea  may  be 
joyous  to  a  rejoicing  spirit,  but  to  the  son  of  sorrow  the  wide,  wide 
ocean  is  even  more  forlorn  than  the  wide,  wide  world.  This  is 
not  our  rest,  and  the  restless  billows  tell  us  so.  There  is  a 
land  where  there  is  no  more  sea — our  faces  are  steadfastly  set 
towards  it ;  we  are  going  to  the  place  of  which  the  Lord  hath 
spoken.  Till  then,  we  cast  our  sorrows  on  the  Lord,  who  trod 
the  sea  of  old,  and  who  maketh  a  way  for  His  people  through 
the  depths  thereof. 


SAINT  PETER  WALKS  ON  THE  SEA. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  SSS 

SAINT  PETER  WALKS  ON  THE  SEA. 

(matt.  14:28-31.) 

"And  Peter  answered  Him  and  said,  Lord,  if  it  be  Thou,  bid 
me  come  unto  Thee  on  the  water. 

''And  He  said,  Come.  And  when  Peter  was  come  down  out 
of  the  ship,  he  walked  on  the  water  to  go  to  Jesus. 

"But  when  he  saw  the  wind  boisterous,  he  was  afraid;  and, 
beginning  to  sink,  he  cried,  saying,  Lord,  save  me. 

"And  immediately  Jesus  stretched  forth  His  hand,  and  caught 
him,  and  said  unto  him,  O  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou 
doubt  ?" 

Sinking  times  are  praying  times  with  the  Lord's  servants. 
Peter  neglected  prayer  at  starting-  upon  his  venturous  journey,  but 
when  he  began  to  sink  his  danger  made  him  a  suppliant,  and  his 
cry,  though  late,  was  not  too  late.  In  our  hours  of  bodily  pain 
and  mental  anguish,  we  find  ourselves  as  naturally  driven  to 
prayer  as  the  wreck  is  driven  upon  the  shore  by  the  waves.  The 
fox  hies  to  its  hole  for  protection ;  the  bird  flies  to  the  wood  for 
shelter;  and  even  so  the  tried  believer  hastens  to  the  mercy-seat 
for  safety.  Heaven's  great  harbor  of  refuge  is  All-prayer ;  thou- 
sands of  weather-beaten  vessels  have  found  a  haven  there,  and 
the  moment  a  storm  comes  on,  it  is  wise  for  us  to  make  for  it 
with  all  sail. 

The  billows  swell,  the  winds  are  high, 
Clouds  overcast  my   wintry   sky; 
Out  of  the  depths  to  Thee  I  call ; 
My  fears  are  great,  my  strength  is  small. 

O  Lord,  the  pilot's  part  perform. 
And  guide  and  guard  me  through  the  storm  ; 
Defend  me  from  each  threatening  ill ; 
Control  the  waves;  say,  "Peace!  be  still." 

Amidst  the  roaring  of  the  sea, 
My  soul  still  hangs  her  hopes  on  Thee ; 
Thy  constant  love.  Thy  faithful  care. 
Is  all  that  saves  me  from  despair. 


336  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Though  tempest-tossed,  and  half  a  wreck, 
My  Savior  through  the  floods  I  seek; 
Let  neither  winds  nor  stormy  main 
Force  back  my  shattered  bark  again. 

Behold  the  superlative  liberality  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  for 
He  hath  given  us  His  all.  He  hath  emptied  all  His  estate 
into  the  coffers  of  the  church,  and  hath  all  things 
common  with  His  redeemed.  There  is  not  one  room  in  His 
house  the  key  of  which  He  will  withhold  from  His  people.  He 
gives  them  full  liberty  to  take  all  that  He  hath  to  be  their  own; 
He  loves  them  to  make  free  with  His  treasure,  and  appropriate 
as  much  as  they  can  possibly  carry.  The  boundless  fulness  of 
His  all-sufficiency  is  as  free  to  the  believer  as  the  air  he  breathes. 
Christ  hath  put  the  flagon  of  His  love  and  grace  to  the  believer's 
lips,  and  bidden  him  drink  on  forever;  for  could  he  drain  it,  he 
is  welcome  to  do  so,  and  as  he  cannot  exhaust  it,  he  is  bidden  io 
drink  abundantly,  for  it  is  all  his  own.  What  truer  proof  of 
fellowship  can  heaven  or  earth  afford? 

When  I  stand  before  the  throne. 
Dressed  in  beauty  not  my  own; 
When  I  see  Thee  as  Thou  art. 
Love  Thee  with  unsinning  heart; 
Then,  Lord,  shall  I  fully  know — 
Not  till  then — how  much  I  owe. 


'I  AM  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  339 

I  AM  THE  GOOD   SHEPHERD. 
(JOHN  10:11.) 

*T  am  the  good  shepherd :  the  good  shepherd  giveth  His  life  for 
the  sheep." 

''My  sheep  hear  My  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow 
Me."  Christ  appears  as  a  shepherd  to  His  own  sheep,  not  to 
others.  As  soon  as  He  appears,  His  own  sheep  perceive  Him — 
they  trust  Him,  they  are  prepared  to  follow  Him ;  He  knows  them, 
and  they  know  Him — there  is  a  mutual  knowledge — there  is  a 
constant  connection  between  them.  Thus  the  one  mark,  the  sure 
mark,  the  infallible  mark  of  regeneration  and  adoption  is  a  hearty 
faith  in  the  appointed  Redeemer.  Reader,  are  you  in  doubt,  are 
you  uncertain  whether  you  bear  the  secret  mark  of  God's  children  ? 
Then  let  not  an  hour  pass  over  your  head  till  you  have  said, 
"Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart."  Trifle  not  here,  I 
adjure  you !  If  you  must  trifle  anywhere,  let  it  be  about  some 
secondary  matter;  your  health,  if  you  will,  or  the  title  deeds  of 
your  estate;  but  about  your  soul,  your  never-dying  soul,  and  its 
eternal  destinies,  I  beseech  you  be  in  earnest.  Make  sure  work  for 
eternity. 

'T  give  unto  My  sheep  eternal  life ;  and  they  shall  never  perish, 
neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  My  hand.  My  Father 
which  gave  them  Me  is  greater  than  all,  and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck 
them  out  of  My  Father's  hand."  Where  were  the  doctrines  of 
grace?  They  would  be  all  disproved  if  one  child  of  God  should 
perish.  Where  were  the  veracity  of  God,  His  honor,  His  power. 
His  grace.  His  covenant.  His  oath,  if  any  of  those  for  whom  Christ 
has  died,  and  who  have  put  their  trust  in  Him,  should  nevertheless 
be  cast  away  ?  Banish  those  unbelieving  fears  which  so  dishonor 
God.  Arise,  shake  thyself  from  the  dust,  and  put  on  thy  beautiful 
garments.  Remember  it  is  sinful  to  doubt  His  Word  wherein 
He  has  promised  thee  that  thou  shalt  never  perish.  Let  the  eternal 
life  within  thee  express  itself  in  confident  rejoicing. 

The  gospel  bears  my  spirit  up : 

A  faithful  and  unchanging  God 
Lays  the  foundation  for  my  hope 

In  oaths,  and  promises,  and  blood. 


340  DIVINE     HEALING. 

We  should  follow  our  Lord  as  unhesitatingly  as  sheep  follow 
their  shepherd,  for  He  has  a  right  to  lead  us  wherever  He  pleases. 
We  are  not  our  own.  We  are  bought  with  a  price — let  us  recog- 
nize the  rights  of  the  redeeming  blood.  The  soldier  follows  his 
captain,  the  servant  obeys  his  master ;  much  more  must  we  follow 
our  Redeemer,  to  whom  we  are  a  purchased  possession.  We  are 
not  true  to  our  profession  of  being  Christians  if  we  question  the 
bidding  of  our  Leader  and  Commander.  Submission  is  our  duty, 
cavilling  is  our  folly.  Often  might  our  Lord  say  to  us  as  to 
Peter,  "What  is  that  to  thee?  follow  thou  Me."  Wherever  Jesus 
may  lead  us,  He  goes  before  us.  If  we  know  not  where  we  go, 
we  know  with  whom  we  go.  With  such  a  companion,  who  will 
dread  the  perils  of  the  road?  The  journey  may  be  long,  but  His 
everlasting  arms  will  carry  us  to  the  end.  The  presence  of  Jesus 
is  the  assurance  of  eternal  salvation ;  because  He  lives,  we  shall 
live  also.  We  should  follow  Christ  in  simplicity  and  faith,  be- 
cause the  paths  in  which  He  leads  us  all  end  in  glory  and  im- 
mortality. It  is  true  that  they  may  not  be  smooth  paths — they  may 
be  covered  with  sharp,  flinty  trials;  but  they  lead  to  the  "city 
which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God."  "All 
the  paths  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth  unto  such  as  keep  His 
covenant."  Let  us  put  full  trust  in  our  Leader,  since  we  know 
that,  come  prosperity  or  adversity,  sickness  or  health,  popularity 
or  contempt,  His  purpose  shall  be  worked  out,  and  that  purpose 
shall  be  pure,  unmingled  good  to  every  heir  of  mercy. 


IF  ANY  MAN  HEAR  MY  VOICE  AND  OPEN  THE  DOOR, 
I  WILL  COME  IN  TO  HIM." 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  343 

IF  ANY  MAN  HEAR  MY  VOICE,  AND  OPEN  THE  DOOR, 
I  WILL  COME  IN  TO  HIM. 

(rev.  3:20,  21.) 

''Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock :  if  any  man  hear  My 
voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  Me. 

"To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  Me  in  My 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  My 
Father  in  His  throne." 

Dear  reader,  what  is  your  desire  this  evening?  Is  it  set  upon 
heavenly  things?  Do  you  long  to.  enjoy  the  high  doctrine  of 
eternal  love  ?  Do  you  desire  liberty  in  very  close  communion  with 
God  ?  Do  you  aspire  to  know  the  heights,  and  depths,  and  lengths, 
and  breadths  ?  Then  you  must  draw  near  to  Jesus ;  you  must  get 
clear  sight  of  Him  and  His  preciousness  and  completeness;  you 
must  view  Him  in  His  work,  fn  His  offices,  in  His  person.  He 
who  understands  Christ,  receives  an  anointing  from  the  Holy  One, 
by  which  He  knows  all  things.  Christ  is  the  great  master-key 
of  all  the  chambers  of  God;  there  is  no  treasure-house  of  God 
which  will  not  open  and  yield  up  all  its  wealth  to  the  soul  that 
lives  near  to  Jesus.  Are  you  saying,  *'0  that  He  would  dwell  in 
my  bosom"  ?  "Would  that  He  would  make  my  heart  His  dwell- 
ing-place forever"?  Open  the  door,  beloved,  and  He  will  come 
into  your  souls.  He  has  long  been  knocking,  and  all  with  this  ob- 
ject, that  He  may  sup  with  you,  and  you  with  Him.  He  sups  with 
you  because  you  find  the  house  or  the  heart,  and  you  with  Him 
because  He  brings  the  provision.  He  could  not  sup  with  you  if  it 
were  not  in  your  heart,  you  finding  the  house ;  nor  could  you  sup 
with  Him,  for  you  have  a  bare  cupboard,  if  He  did  not  bring  the 
provision  with  Him.  Fling  wide,  then,  the  portals  of  your  soul. 
He  will  come  with  that  love  which  you  long  to  feel ;  He  will  come 
with  that  joy  into  which  you  cannot  work  your  poor  depressed 
spirit ;  He  will  bring  the  peace  which  now  you  have  not ;  He  will 
come  with  His  flagons  of  wine  and  sweet  apples  of  love,  and 
cheer  you  till  you  have  no  other  sickness  but  that  of  "love  o'er- 
powering,  love  divine."  Only  open  the  door  to  Him,  drive  out  His 
enemies,  give  Him  the  keys  of  your  heart,  and  He  will  dwell 
there  forever.  Oh,  wondrous  love,  that  brings  such  a  guest  to 
dwell  in  such  a  heart! 


344  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THOU  SHALT  LOVE  THY  NEIGHBOR. 
(matt.  5:43-45.) 

**Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy : 

"But  I  say  unto  you.  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitef  ully  use  you,  and  persecute  you  ; 

''That  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven." 

Take  heed  that  thou  love  thy  neighbor  even  though  he  be  in 
rags,  or  sunken  in  the  depths  of  poverty.  But,  perhaps,  you  say, 
*T  cannot  love  my  neighbors,  because  for  all  I  do  they  return  in- 
gratitude and  contempt."  So  much  the  more  room  for  the  heroism 
of  love.  Wouldst  thou  be  a  feather-bed  warrior,  instead  of  bear- 
ing the  rough  fight  of  love  ?  He  who  dares  the  most,  shall  win  the 
most ;  and  if  rough  be  thy  path  of  love,  tread  it  boldly,  still  loving 
thy  neighbors  through  thick  and  thin.  Heap  coals  of  fire  on  their 
heads ;  and  if  they  be  hard  to  please,  seek  not  to  please  them,  but 
to  please  thy  Master;  and  remember,  if  they  spurn  thy  love,  thy 
Master  hath  not  spurned  it,  and  thy  deed  is  as  acceptable  to  Him  as 
if  it  had  been  acceptable  to  them.  Love  thy  neighbor,  for  in  so 
doing  thou  art  following  in  the  footsteps  of  Christ. 

SEARCH  THE  SCRIPTURES. 
<J0HN  5:39.) 

''Search  the  scriptures :  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life :  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  Me." 

The  Greek  word  here  rendered  search  signifies  a  strict,  close, 
diligent,  curious  search,  such  as  men  make  when  they  are  seeking 
gold,  or  hunters  when  they  are  in  earnest  after  game.  We  must 
not  rest  content  with  having  given  a  superficial  reading  to  a  chap- 
ter or  two,  but  with  the  candle  of  the  Spirit  we  must  deliberately 
seek  out  the  hidden  meaning  of  the  Word.  Holy  Scripture 
requires  searching — much  of  it  can  only  be  learned  by  careful 
study.    There  is  milk  for  babes,  but  also  meat  for  strong  men.    The 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  345 

rabbis  wisely  say  that  a  mountain  of  matter  hangs  upon  every 
word,  yea,  upon  every  tittle  of  Scripture.  TertuUian  exclaims,  ''I 
adore  the  fulness  of  the  Scriptures."  No  man  who  merely  skims 
the  Book  of  God  can  profit  thereby ;  we  must  dig  and  mine  until  we 
obtain  the  hid  treasure.  The  door  of  the  Word  only  opens  to  the 
key  of  diligence.  The  Scriptures  claim  searching.  They 
are  the  writings  of  God,  bearing  the  divine  stamp  and  imprimatur 
— who  shall  dare  to  treat  them  with  levity  ?  He  who  despises  them 
despises  the  God  who  wrote  them.  God  forbid  that  any  of  us 
should  leave  our  Bibles  to  become  swift  witnesses  against  us  in  the 
great  day  of  account.  The  Word  of  God  will  repay  searching. 
God  does  not  bid  us  sift  a  mountain  of  chaiY  with  here  and  there  a 
grain  of  wheat  in  it,  but  the  Bible  is  winnowed  corn — we  have  but 
to  open  the  granary  door  and  find  it.  Scripture  grows  upon  the 
student.  It  is  full  of  surprises.  Under  the  teaching  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  to  the  searching  eye  it  glows  with  splendor  of  revelation, 
like  a  vast  temple  paved  with  wrought  gold,  and  roofed  with 
rubies,  emeralds,  and  all  manner  of  gems.  No  merchandise  like 
the  merchandise  of  Scripture  truth.  Lastly,  the  Scriptures  reveal 
Jesus :    "They  are  they  which  testify  of  Me." 

As  all  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea,  so  all  delights  center  in  our 
Beloved.  The  glances  of  His  eyes  outshine  the  sun :  the  beauties 
of  His  face  are  fairer  than  the  choicest  flowers:  no  fragrance  is 
like  the  breath  of  His  mouth.  Gems  of  the  mine,  and  pearls  from 
the  sea,  are  worthless  things  when  measured  by  His  preciousness. 
Peter  tells  us  that  Jesus  is  precious,  but  he  did  not  and  could 
not  tell  us  how  precious,  nor  could  any  of  us  compute  the  value 
of  God's  unspeakable  gift. 

What  a  howling  wilderness  is  this  world  without  our  Lord ! 
If  once  He  hideth  Himself  from  us,  withered  are  the  flowers  of 
our  garden;  our  pleasant  fruits  decay;  the  birds  suspend  thei^r 
songs,  and  a  tempest  overturns  our  hopes.  All  earth's  candles 
cannot  make  daylight  if  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  be  eclipsed. 
He  is  the  soul  of  our  soul,  the  light  of  our  light,  the  life  of  our 
life. 

O  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God, 

A  heart  from  sin  set  free, 
A  heart  that  always  feels  Thy  blood 
So  freely  spilt  for  me ! 

A  heart  resigned,  submissive,  meek, 

My  dear  Reedeemer's  throne. 
Where  only  Christ  is  heard  to  speak, 

Where  Jesus  reigns  alone. 


YE  BLESSED  OF  MY  FATHER 


'COME  UNTO  ME." 


C.A'-lfS 


R'^ 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  349 

COME  UNTO  ME. 

(MATTHEW   11  :28.) 

The  cry  of  the  Christian  rehgion  is  the  gentle  word,  "Come." 
The  Jewish  law  harshly  said,  *'Go,  take  heed  unto  thy  steps  as  to 
the  path  in  which  thou  shalt  walk.  Break  the  commandments, 
and  thou  shalt  perish ;  keep  them,  and  thou  shalt  live."  The  law 
was  a  dispensation  of  terror,  which  drove  men  before  it  as  with 
a  scourge;  the  gospel  draws  with  bands  of  love.  Jesus  is  the 
good  Shepherd  going  before  His  sheep,  bidding  them  follow  Him, 
and  ever  leading  them  onward  with  the  sweet  word,  ''Come."  The 
law  repels ;  the  gospel  attracts.  THe  law  shows  the  distance  which 
there  is  between  God  and  man;  the  gospel  bridges  that  awful 
chasm,  and  brings  the  sinner  across  it. 

From  the  first  moment  of  your  spiritual  life  until  you  are 
ushered  into  glory,  the  language  of  Christ  to  you  will  be,  "Come, 
come  unto  Me."  As  a  mother  puts  out  her  finger  to  her  little 
child,  and  woos  it  to  walk  by  saying,  "Come,"  even  so  does 
Jesus.  He  will  always  be  ahead  of  you,  bidding  you  follow  Him 
as  the  soldier  follows  his  captain.  He  will  always  go  before  you 
to  pave  your  way,  and  clear  your  path,  and  you  shall  hear  His 
animating  voice  calling  you  after  Him  all  through  life;  while  in 
the  solemn  hour  of  death.  His  sweet  words  with  which  He  shall 
usher  you  into  the  heavenly  world  shall  be — "Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father." 

Nay,  further,  this  is  not  only  Christ's  cry  to  you,  but,  if  you 
be  a  believer,  this  is  your  cry  to  Christ — "  Come !  come !"  You 
will  be  longing  for  His  second  advent ;  you  will  be  saying,  "Come 
quickly;  even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus."  You  will  be  panting  for 
nearer  and  closer  communion  with  Him.  As  His  voice  to  you  is, 
"Come,"  your  response  to  Him  will  be,  "Come,  Lord,  and  abide 
with  me.  Come,  and  occupy  alone  the  throne  of  my  heart ;  reign 
there  without  a  rival,  and  consecrate  me  entirely  to  Thy  service." 

Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bid'st  me  come  to  Thee, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come. 


350  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Just  as  I  am,  and  waiting  not, 
To  rid  my  soul  of  one  dark  blot, 
To  Thee,  whose  blood  can  cleanse  each  spot, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come. 


JESUS  SAID,  "REMEMBER  ME." 

Jesus  says  to  us,  "Remember  Me ;"  and  our  response  is,  "We 
will  remember  Thy  love."  We  zvill  remember  Thy  love  and  its 
matchless  history.  It  is  ancient  as  the  glory  which  Thou  hadst 
with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  We  remember,  O  Jesus, 
Thine  eternal  love  when  Thou  didst  become  our  Surety,  and  es- 
pouse us  as  Thy  betrothed.  We  remember  the  love  which  sug- 
gested the  sacrifice  of  Thyself,  the  love  which,  until  the  fullness 
of  time,  mused  over  that  sacrifice,  and  longed  for  the  hour  wherof 
in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  was  written  of  Thee,  "Lo,  I  come.'* 
We  remember  Thy  love,  O  Jesus !  as  it  was  manifest  to  us  in  Thy 
holy  life,  from  the  manger  of  Bethlehem  to  the  garden  of  Gethse- 
mane.  We  track  Thee  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave — for  every 
word  and  deed  of  Thine  was  love, — and  we  rejoice  in  Thy  love, 
which  death  did  not  exhaust;  Thy  love  which  shone  resplendent 
in  Thy  resurrection.  We  remember  that  burning  fire  of  love 
which  will  never  let  Thee  hold  Thy  peace  until  Thy  chosen  ones 
be  all  safely  housed,  imtil  Zion  be  glorified,  and  Jerusalem  settled 
on  her  everlasting  foundations  of  light  and  love  in  heaven. 


GRATEFUL  REMEMBRANCE. 

According  to  Thy  gracious  word, 

In  meek  humility. 
This  will  I  do,  my  dying  Lord — 

I  will  remember  Thee. 

Thy  body,  broken  for  my  sake, 

My  bread  from  heaven  shall  be: 

Thy  testamental  cup  I  take. 
And  thus  remember  Thee. 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  351 

Gethsemane  can  I  forget? 

Or  there  Thy  conflict  see, 
Thine  agony  and  bloody  sweat, 

And  not  remember  thee? 

When  to  the  cross  I  turn  mine  eyes, 

And  rest  on  Calvary, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  my  Sacrifice, 

I  must  remember  Thee ! 

Remember  Thee  and  all  Thy  pains, 

And  all  Thy  love  to  me ; 
Yea,  while  a  breath,  a  pulse  remains. 

Will  I  remember  Thee. 

And  when  these  failing  lips  grow  dumb, 

And  mind  and  mem'ry  flee, 
When  Thou  shalt  in  Thy  kingdom  come, 

Jesus,  remember  me. 

It  seems,  then,  that  Christians  may  forget  Christ.  There  could 
be  no  need  for  this  loving  exhortation,  if  there  were  not  a  fearful 
supposition  that  our  memories  might  prove  treacherous.  Nor 
is  this  a  bare  supposition ;  it  is,  alas !  too  well  confirmed  in  our 
experience,  not  as  a  possibility,  but  as  a  lamentable  fact.  It  ap- 
pears almost  impossible  that  those  who  have  been  redeemed  by 
the  blood  of  the  dying  Lamb,  and  loved  with  an  everlasting  love 
by  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  should  forget  that  gracious  Savior; 
but,  if  startling  to  the  ear,  it  is,  alas !  too  apparent  to  the  eye  to 
allow  us  to  deny  the  crime.  Forget  Him  who  never  forgot  us! 
Forget  Him  who  poured  His  blood  forth  for  our  sins !  Forget 
Him  who  loved  us  ven  to  the  death !  Can  it  be  possible  ?  Yes, 
it  is  not  only  possible,  but  conscience  confesses  that  it  is  too 
sadly  a  fault  with  all  of  us,  that  we  suffer  Him  to  be  as  a  wayfaring 
man  tarrying  but  for  a  night.  He  whom  we  should  make  the 
abiding  tenant  of  our  memories  is  but  a  visitor  therein.  The 
cross  where  one  would  think  that  memory  would  linger,  and 
unmindfulness  would  be  an  unknown  intruder,  is  desecrated  by 
the  feet  of  forgetfulness.  Does  not  your  conscience  say  that  this 
is  true?  Do  you  not  find  yourselves  forgetful  of  Jesus?  Some 
creature  steals  away  your  heart,    and  you  are  unmindful  of  Him 


352  DIVINE     HEALING. 

upon  whom  your  affection  ought  to  be  set.  Some  earthly  business 
engrosses  your  attention  when  you  should  fix  your  eye  steadily 
upon  the  cross.  It  is  the  incessant  turmoil  of  the  world,  the 
constant  attraction  of  earthly  things,  which  takes  away  the  soul 
from  Christ.  While  memory  too  well  preserves  a  poisonous  weed, 
it  suffereth  the  rose  of  Sharon  to  wither.  Let  us  charge  ourselves 
to  bind  a  heavenly  forget-me-not  about  our  hearts  for  Jesus 
our  Beloved,  and  whatever  else  we  let  slip,  let  us  hold  fast  to  Him. 


REMEMBER  ME. 

O  Thou  from  whom  all  goodness  flows, 

I  lift  my  soul  to  Thee; 
In  all  my  sorrows,  conflicts,  woes, 

O  Lord,  remember  me. 

If  for  thy  sake,  upon  my  name 
Reproach  and  shame  shall  be, 

I'll  hail  reproach  and  welcome  shame ; 
O  Lord,  remember  me. 

When  worn  with  pain,  disease  and  grief, 

This  feeble  body  see ; 
Grant  patience,  rest  and  kind  relief; 

0  Lord,   remember  me. 

When,  in  the  solemn  hour  of  death, 

1  wait  Thy  just  decree, 

Be  this  the  prayer  of  my  last  breath,  - 
O  Lord,  remember  me. 

And  when  before  Thy  throne  I  stand, 

And  lift  my  soul  to  Thee, 
Then,  with  the  saints  at  Thy  right  hand, 

O  Lord,  remember  me. 


THE  TREES  OF  THE  LORD  ARE  FULL  OF  SAP. 


MIND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  355 

THE  TREES  OF  THE  LORD  ARE  FULL  OF  SAP. 

(psalm  104:16.) 

Without  sap  the  tree  cannot  flourish,  or  even  exist.  Vitality 
is  essential  to  a  Christian.  There  must  be  life— 3.  vital  principle 
infused  into  us  by  God  the  Holy  Ghost —  or  we  cannot  be  trees  of 
the  Lord.  The  mere  name  of  being  a  Christian  is  but  a  dead 
thing ;  we  must  be  filled  with  the  spirit  of  divine  life.  This  life  is 
mysterious.  We  do  not  understand  the  circulation  of  the  sap — ^by 
what  force  it  rises,  and  by  what  power  it  descends  again.  So  the 
life  within  us  is  a  sacred  mystery.  .  Regeneration  is  wrought  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  entering  into  man  and  becoming  man's  life ;  and 
this  divine  life  in  a  believer  afterwards  feeds  upon  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  Christ,  and  is  thus  sustained  by  divine  food ;  but  whence 
it  Cometh  and  whither  it  goeth,  who  shall  explain  to  us?  What 
a  secret  thing  the  sap  is !  The  roots  go  searching  through  the 
soil  with  their  little  spongioles,  but  we  cannot  see  them  suck 
out  the  various  gases,  or  transmute  the  mineral  into  the  vegetable : 
this  work  is  done  down  in  the  dark.  Our  root  is  Christ  Jesus, 
and  our  life  is  hid  in  Him :  this  is  the  secret  of  the  Lord.  The 
radix  of  the  Christian  life  is  as  secret  as  the  life  itself.  How 
permanently  active  is  the  sap  in  the  cedar !  In  the  Christian,  the 
divine  life  is  always  full  of  energy — not  always  in  fruit-bearing 
but  in  inward  operations.  The  believer's  graces  are  not  every 
one  of  them  in  constant  motion,  but  his  life  never  ceases  to  pal- 
pitate within.  He  is  not  always  working  for  God,  but  his  heart 
is  always  living  upon  Him.  As  the  sap  manifests  itself  in  pro- 
ducing the  foliage  and  fruit  of  the  tree,  so  with  a  truly  healthy 
Christian ;  his  grace  is  externally  manifested  in  his  walk  and  con- 
versation. If  you  talk  with  him,  he  cannot  help  speaking  about 
Jesus.  If  you  notice  his  actions,  you  will  see  that  he  has  been  with 
Jesus.  He  has  so  much  sap  within,  that  it  must  fill  his  conduct 
and  conversation  with  life. 

How  did  you  begin  to  bear  fruit.  It  was  when  you  came  to 
Jesus  and  cast  yourself  on  His  great  atonement,  and  rested  on 
His  finished  righteousness.  Ah,  what  fruit  you  had  then  !  Do  you 
remember  those  early  days  ?  Then,  indeed  the  vine  flourished,  the 
tender  grapes  appeared,  the  pomegranates  budded  forth,  and  the 
beds  of  spices  gave  forth  their  smell.     Have  you  declined  since 


356  DIYINE    HEALING. 

then?  If  you  have,  we  charge  you  to  remember  that  time  of 
love,  and  repent,  and  do  thy  first  works.  Be  most  in  those  en- 
gagements which  you  have  experimentally  proved  to  draw  you 
nearest  to  Christ,  because  it  is  from  Him  that  all  your  fruits  pro- 
ceed. Any  holy  exercise  which  will  bring  you  to  Him  will  help 
you  to  bear  fruit.  The  sun  is,  no  doubt,  a  great  worker  in  fruit- 
creating  among  the  trees  of  the  orchard ;  and  Jesus  is  still  more  so 
among  the  trees  of  His  garden  of  grace.  When  have  you  been 
the  most  fruitless  ?  Has  not  it  been  when  you  have  lived  farthest 
from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  you  have  slackened  in  prayer, 
when  you  have  departed  from  the  simplicity  of  your  faith,  when 
your  graces  have  engrossed  your  attention  instead  of  your  Lord, 
when  you  have  said,  "My  mountain  standeth  firm ;  I  shall  never 
be  moved ;"  and  have  forgotten  where  your  strength  dwells — has 
it  not  been  then  that  your  fruit  has  ceased?  Some  of  us  have 
been  taught  that  we  have  nothing  out  of  Christ,  by  terrible  abase- 
ments of  heart  before  the  Lord ;  and  when  we  have  seen  the 
utter  barrenness  and  death  of  all  creature  power,  we  have  cried  in 
anguish,  ''From  Him  all  my  fruit  must  be  found,  for  no  fruit 
can  ever  come  from  me."  We  are  taught,  by  past  experience, 
that  the  more  simply  we  depend  upon  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ, 
and  wait  upon  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  more  we  shall  bring  forth 
fruit  unto  God.    Oh,  to  trust  Jesus  for  fruit  as  well  as  for  life ! 


GOD  IS  MY  BANKER. 

I  had  rather  have  God  for  my  banker  than  all  the  Rocke- 
fellers, Carnegies  and  Morgans.  My  Lord  never  fails  to  honor 
His  promises ;  and  when  we  bring  them  to  His  throne.  He  never 
sends  them  back  unanswered.  Therefore  I  will  wait  only  at 
His  door,  for  He  ever  opens  it  with  the  hand  of  munificent  grace. 
At  this  hour  I  will  try  Him  anew.  But  we  have  ''expectations'' 
beyond  this  life.  We  shall  die  soon;  and  then  our  "expectation 
is  from  Him."  Do  we  not  expect  that  when  we  lie  upon  the  bed  uf 
sickness  He  will  send  angels  to  carry  us  to  His  bosom  ?  We  be- 
lieve that  when  the  pulse  is  faint,  and  the  heart  heaves  heavily, 
some  angelic  messenger  shall  stand  and  look  with  loving  eyes 
upon  us  and  whisper,  "Sister  spirit,  come  away !"  As  we  approach 
the  heavenly  gate,  we  expect  to  hear  the  welcome  invitation, 
"Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 


MI-ND    AND    FAITH    CURE.  357 

for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  We  are  expecting 
harps  of  gold  and  crowns  of  glory;  we  are  hoping  soon  to  be 
amongst  the  multitude  of  shining  ones  before  the  throne;  we  are 
looking  forward  and  longing  for  the  time  when  we  shall  be  like 
our  glorious  Lord — for  "we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

If  God  had  willed  it,  each  of  us  might  have  entered  heaven  at 
the  moment  of  conversion.  It  was  not  absolutely  necessary  for 
our  preparation  for  immortality  that  we  should  tarry  here.  It 
is  possible  for  a  man  to  be  taken  to  heaven,  and  to  be  found  meet 
to  be  a  partaker  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  of  light,  though 
he  has  but  just  believed  in  Jesus.  It  is  true  that  our  sanctification 
is  a  long  and  continued  process,  and  we  shall  not  be  perfected 
till  we  lay  aside  our  bodies  and  enter  within  the  veil ;  but  never- 
theless, had  the  Lord  so  willed  it, '  He  might  have  changed  us 
from  imperfection  to  perfection,  and  have  taken  us  to  heaven 
at  once.  Why  then  are  we  here  ?  Would  God  keep  His  children 
out  of  paradise  a  single  moment  longer  than  was  necessary? 
Why  is  the  army  of  the  living  God  still  on  the  battlefield,  when 
one  charge  might  give  them  the  victory?  Why  are  His  children 
still  wandering  hither  and  thither  through  a  maze,  when  a  solitary 
word  from  His  lips  would  bring  them  into  the  center  of  their 
hopes  in  heaven?  The  answer  is — they  are  here  that  they  may 
''live  unto  the  Lord,''  and  may  bring  others  to  know  His  love. 
We  remain  on  earth  as  sowers  to  scatter  good  seed;  as  plough- 
men to  break  up  the  fallow  ground;  as  heralds  publishing  salva- 
tion. We  are  here  as  the  "salt  of  the  earth,"  to  be  a  blessing  to 
the  world.  We  are  here  to  glorify  Christ  in  our  daily  life.  We 
are  here  as  workers  for  Him,  and  as  "workers  together  with 
Him."  Let  us  see  that  our  life  answereth  its  end.  Let  us  live 
earnest,  useful,  holy  lives,  to  "the  praise  of  the  glory  of  His 
grace."    Meanwhile  we  long  to  be  with  Him,  and  daily  sing — 

My  heart  is  with  Him  on  His  throne. 

And  ill  can  brook  delay; 
Each  moment  listening  for  the  voice, 

"Rise  up  and  come  away." 


358  DIVINE     HEALING. 

JESUS  GOES  UP  TO  JERUSALEM. 
(JOHN  2:12,  13.) 

''After  this  He  went  down  to  Capernaum,  He,  and  His  mother, 
and  His  brethren,  and  His  disciples ;  and  they  continued  there  not 
many  days. 

*'And  the  Jews'  passover  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up  to 
Jerusalem." 

Jesus,  the  Redeemer,  is  altogether  ours,  and  ours  forever.  All 
the  offices  of  Christ  are  held  on  our  behalf.  He  is  king  for  us, 
priest  for  us,  and  prophet  for  us.  He  bequeathed  us  His  manger, 
from  which  to  learn  how  God  came  down  to  man ;  and  His  cross  to 
teach  us  how  man  may  go  up  to  God.  All  His  thoughts,  emotions, 
actions,  utterances,  miracles,  and  intercessions,  were  for  us.  He 
trod  the  road  of  sorrow  on  our  behalf,  and  hath  made  over  to  us 
as  His  heavenly  legacy  the  full  results  of  all  the  labors  of  His 
hfe. 

God's  promises  were  never  meant  to  be  thrown  aside  as  waste 
paper ;  He  intended  that  they  should  be  used.  God's  gold  is  not 
miser's  money,  but  is  minted  to  be  traded  with.  Nothing  pleases 
our  Lord  better  than  to  see  His  promises  put  in  circulation  ;  He 
loves  to  see  His  children  bring  them  up  to  Him,  and  say.  "Lord, 
do  as  Thou  hast  said."  We  glorify  God  when  we  plead  His 
promises.  Do  you  think  that  God  will  be  any  the  poorer  for  giving 
you  the  riches  He  has  promised  ?  Do  you  dream  that  He  will  be 
any  the  less  holy  for  giving  holiness  to  you  ?  Do  you  imagine  He 
will  be  any  the  less  pure  for  washing  you  from  your  sins?  He 
has  said,  ''Come,  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  said  the  Lord : 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow : 
though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  ze  as  wool."  Faith  lays 
hold  upon  the  promise  of  pardon,  and  it  does  not  delay,  saying, 
"This  is  a  precious  promise ;  I  wonder  if  it  be  true  ?"  but  it  goes 
straight  to  the  throne  with  it,  and  pleads,  "Lord,  here  is  the 
promise.  'Do  as  Thou  hast  said.'  "  Our  Lord  replies,  "Be  it  unto 
thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  When  a  Christian  grasps  a  promise, 
if  he  do  not  take  it  to  God,  he  dishonors  Him  ;  but  when  he  hastens 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  cries,  "Lord,  I  have  nothing  to  recom- 
mend me  but  this,  'Thou  hast  said  it,'  "  then  his  desire  shall  be 
granted.  Our  heavenly  Banker  delights  to  cash  His  own  notes. 
Never  let  thep  romise  rust.  Draw  the  word  of  promise  out  of 
its  scabbard,  and  use  it  with  holy  violence. 


OF 


M  I  N  D     A  \  D     FAIT  H     CURE  .  361 

I  AM  THE  VINE;  YE  ARE  THE  BRANCHES. 
(JOHN  15:1,  2,  5,  6,  7.) 

"I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman. 

"Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  He  taketh  away ; 
and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit.  He  purgeth  it,  that  it  may 
bring  forth  more  fruit. 

'T  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches.  He  that  abideth  in  Me, 
and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit ;  for  without  Me 
ye  can  do  nothing. 

'Tf  a  man  abide  not  in  Me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  is 
withered;  and  men  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and 
they  are  burned. 

'Tf  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 
what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you." 

Our  blessed  Jesus,  as  God,  is  omniscient,  omnipresent,  omnip- 
otent. Will  it  not  console  you  to  know  that  all  these  great  and 
glorious  attributes  are  altogether  yours  ?  Has  He  power  ?  That 
power  is  yours  to  support  and  strengthen  you,  to  overcome  your 
enemies,  and  to  preserve  you  even  to  the  end.  Has  He  love? 
Well,  there  is  not  a  drop  of  love  in  His  heart  which  is  not  yours. 
You  may  dive  into  the  immense  ocean  of  His  love,  and  you  may 
say  of  it  all,  "It  is  mine."  Hath  He  justice?  It  may  seem  a 
stern  attribute,  but  even  that  is  yours ;  for  He  will,  by  His  justice, 
see  to  it,  that  all  which  is  promised  to  you  in  the  covenant  of 
grace,  shall  be  most  certainly  secured  to  you.  And  all  that  He 
has  as  perfect  man  is  yours.  As  a  perfect  man  the  Father's  de- 
light was  upon  Him.  He  stood  accepted  by  the  Most  High. 
O  believer,  God's  acceptance  of  Christ  is  thine  acceptance;  for 
knowest  thou  not  that  the  love  which  the  Father  set  on  a  perfect 
Christ,  He  sets  on  thee  now?  For  all  that  Christ  did  is  thine. 
That  perfect  righteousness  which  Jesus  wrought  out,  when  through 
His  stainless  life  He  kept  the  law  and  made  it  honorable,  is  thine, 
and  is  imputed  to  thee.    Christ  is  in  the  covenant. 

My  God,  I  am  thine — what  a  comfort  divine ! 
What  a  blessing  to  know  that  the  Savior  is  mine ! 
In  the  heavenly  Lamb  thrice  happy  I  am, 
And  my  heart  it  doth  dance  at  the  sound  of  His  name. 


362  DIVIWE    HEALING. 

AND  YE  SHALL  BE  WITNESSES  UNTO  ME. 

(JOHN  1:7-8,  15.) 

"The  same  came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness  of  the  Hght, 
that  all  men  through  Him  might  believe. 

"He  was  not  that  Light,  but  zvas  sent  to  bear  witness  of  that 
Light. 

"John  bare  witness  of  Him,  and  cried,  saying,  This  was  he 
of  whom  I  spake.  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before 
me ;  for  he  was  before  me." 

In  order  to  learn  how  to  discharge  your  duty  as  a  witness 
for  Christ,  look  at  His  example.  He  is  always  witnessing;  by 
the  well  of  Samaria,  or  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem ;  by  the  lake 
of  Gennesaret,  or  on  the  mountain's  brow.  He  is  witnessing 
night  and  day;  His  mighty  prayers  are  as  vocal  to  God  as  His 
daily  services.  He  witnesses  under  all  circumstances ;  scribes 
and  Pharisees  cannot  shut  his  mouth ;  even  before  Pilate  He  wit- 
nesses a  good  confession.  He  witnesses  so  clearly  and  distinctly 
that  there  is  no  mistake  in  Him.  Christian,  make  your  life  a 
clear  testimony.  Be  you  as  the  brook  wherein  you  may  see  every 
stone  at  the  bottom^ — not  as  the  muddy  creek,  of  which  you  only 
see  the  surface — ^but  clear  and  transparent,  so  that  your  heart's 
love  to  God  and  man  may  be  visible  to  all.  You  need  not  say, 
"I  am  true:"  be  true.  Boast  not  of  integrity,  but  be  upright. 
So  shall  your  testimony  be  such  that  men  cannot  help  seeing  it. 
Never,  for  fear  of  feeble  man,  restrain  your  witness.  Your  lips 
have  been  warmed  with  a  coal  from  off  the  altar ;  let  them  speak 
as  heaven-touched  lips  should  do.  "In  the  morning  sow 
thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thine  hand."  Watch 
not  the  clouds,  consult  not  the  wind — in  season  and  out  of  season 
witness  for  the  Savior,  and  if  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  for  Christ's 
sake  and  the  gospel's  you  shall  endure  suffering  in  any  shape, 
shrink  not,  but  rejoice  in  the  honor  thus  conferred  upon  you, 
that  you  are  counted  worthy  to  suffer  with  your  Lord;  and  joy 
also  in  this — that  your  sufferings,  your  losses  and  persecutions, 
shall  make  you  a  platform,  from  which  the  more  vigorously  and 
with  greater  power  you  shall  witness  for  Christ  Jesus.  Study 
your  great  Exemplar,  and  be  filled  with  His  spirit.  Remember 
that  you  need  much  teaching,  much  upholding,  much  grace,  and 
much  humility  if  your  witnessing  is  to  be  to  your  Master's  glory. 


I 


LAUNCH    OUT    INTO    THE    DEEP,    AND    LET    DOWN    YOUR 
NETS    FOR    A    DRAUGHT." 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  365 

LAUNCH  OUT  INTO  THE  DEEP,  AND  LET  DOWN 
YOUR  NETS  FOR  A  DRAUGHT. 

(LUKE  5:1-7.) 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  the  people  pressed  upon  Him  to 
hear  the  word  of  God,  He  stood  by  the  lake  of  Gennesaret. 

''And  saw  two  ships  standing  by  the  lake :  but  the  fishermen 
^vere  gone  out  of  them,  and  were  washing  their  nets. 

''And  He  entered  into  one  of  the  ships,  which  was  Simon's,  and 
prayed  him  that  he  would  thrust  out  a  little  from  the  land.  And 
He  sat  down,  and  taught  the  people  out  of  the  ship. 

"Now  when  He  had  left  speaking.  He  said  unto  Simon,  Launch 
out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught. 

"And  Simon  answering  said  unto  him.  Master,  we  have  toiled 
all  the  night,  and  have  taken  nothing :  nevertheless,  at  Thy  word 
I  will  let  down  the  net. 

"And  when  they  had  this  done,  they  inclosed  a  great  multitude 
of  fishes :  and  their  net  brake. 

"And  they  beckoned  unto  their  partners,  which  were  in  the 
other  ship,  that  they  should  come  and  help  them.  And  they 
came,  and  filled  both  the  ships,  so  that  they  began  to  sink." 

We  learn  from  this  narrative  the  necessity  of  human  agency. 
The  draught  of  fishes  was  miraculous,  yet  neither  the  fisherman, 
nor  his  boat,  nor  his  fishing  tackle,  were  ignored,  but  all  were  used 
to  take  the  fishes.  So  in  the  saving  of  souls,  God  worketh  by 
means;  and  while  the  present  economy  of  grace  shall  stand,  God 
will  be  pleased  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them  that 
believe.  When  God  worketh  without  instruments,  doubtless  He 
is  glorified ;  but  He  hath  Himself  selected  the  plan  of  instru- 
mentality as  being  that  by  which  He  is  most  magnified  in  the 
earth.  Means  of  themselves  are  utterly  unavailing.  "Master,  we 
have  toiled  all  the  night  and  have  taken  nothing."  What  was  the 
reason  of  this?  Were  they  not  fishermen  plying  their  special 
calling  ?  Verily,  they  were  no  raw  hands ;  they  understood  the 
work.  Had  they  gone  about  the  toil  unskilfully  ?  No.  Had  they 
lacked  industry  ?  No ;  they  had  toiled.  Had  they  lacked  persever- 
ance ?  No ;  they  had  toiled  all  the  night.  Was  there  a  deficiency 
of  fish  in  the  sea?  Certainly  not,  for  as  soon  as  the  Master  came, 
they  swam  to  the  net  in  shoals.    What,  then,  is  the  reason  ?    Is  it 


366  DIVINE     HEALING. 

because  there  is  no  power  in  the  means  themselves  apart  from  the 
presence  of  Jesus?  ''Without  Him  we  can  do  nothing."  But 
with  Christ  we  can  do  all  things.  Christ's  presence  confers  sue- 
cess.  Jesus  sat  in  Peter's  boat,  and  His  will,  by  a  mysterious  in- 
fluence, drew  the  fish  to  the  net.  When  Jesus  is  lifted  up  in  His 
church,  His  presence  is  the  church's  power — the  shout  of  a  king  is 
in  the  midst  of  her.  "I,  if  I  be  hfted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me." 
Let  us  go  out  this  morning  on  our  work  of  soul-fishing,  looking  up 
in  faith,  and  around  us  in  solemn  anxiety.  Let  us  toil  till  night 
comes,  and  we  shall  not  labor  in  vain,  for  He  who  bids  us  let  down 
the  net,  will  fill  it  with  fishes. 


'A   CERTAIN    BEGGAR   NAMED   LAZARUS,  WHICH   WAS   LAID 
AT   HIS  GATE,  FULL  OF  SORES." 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  369 

THE  RICH  MAN  IN  HELL. 
(LUKE   10:19-31.) 

"Th-ere  was  a  certain  rich  man,  which  was  clothed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day: 

"And  there  was  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus,  which  was 
laid  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores, 

*'And  desiring  to  be  fed  with  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the 
rich  man's  table :  moroever,  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by 
the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom :  the  rich  man  also  died, 

"And  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and  seeth 
Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  hfs  bosom. 

"And  he  cried  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me, 
and  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water, 
and  cool  my  tongue ;  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame. 

"But  Abraham  said.  Son,  remember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime 
receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  likewise  Lazarus  evil  things ;  but 
now  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented. 

"And  beside  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf 
fixed :  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from  hence  to  you  cannot ; 
neither  can  they  pass  to  us,  that  would  come  from  thence. 

"Then  he  said,  I  pray  thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou  wouldst 
send  him  to  my  father's  house : 

"For  I  have  five  brethren ;  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest 
they  also  come  into  this  place  of  torment. 

"Abraham  saith  unto  him,  They  have  Moses  and  the  prophets ; 
let  them  hear  them. 

"And  he  said,  Nay,  father  Abraham  :  but  if  one  went  unto  them 
from  the  dead,  they  will  repent. 

And  he  said  unto  him.  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
neither  will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead." 

It  is  written,  'Tn  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torment.'' 
Ah !  why  did  he  not  lift  up  his  eyes  before  ?  Because  he  was  so 
accustomed  to  hear  the  gospel  that  his  soul  slept  under  it.  Alas ! 
if  you  should  lift  up  your  eyes  there,  how  bitter  would  be  your 
wailings !  Let  the  Savior's  own  words  reveal  the  woe:  "Father 
Abraham,  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in 
water,  and  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame." 
There  is  a  frightful  meaning  in  those  words.  May  you  never  have 
to  spell  it  out  by  the  red  light  of  Jehovah's  wrath ! 


370  D  IV  I  A  E      HEALING. 


WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 

The  great  test  of  your  soul's  health  is,  What  think  you  of 
Christ?  Is  He  to  you  "fairer  than  the  children  of  men" — "the  chief 
among  ten  thousand" — the  "altogether  lovely"?  Wherever  Christ 
is  thus  esteemed,  all  the  faculties  of  the  spiritual  man  exercise  them- 
selves with  energy.  I  will  judge  of  your  piety  by  this  barometer: 
does  Christ  stand  high  or  low  with  you  ?  If  you  have  thought  little 
of  Christ,  if  you  have  been  content  to  live  without  His  presence,  if 
you  have  cared  little  for  His  honor,  if  you  have  been  neglectful 
of  His  laws,  then  I  know  that  your  soul  is  sick — God  grant  that  it 
may  not  be  sick  unto  death  !  But  if  the  first  thought  of  your  spirit 
has  been,  "How  can  I  honor  Jesus  ?"  if  the  daily  desire  of  your  soul 
has  been,  "Oh  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  Him !"  I  tell  you 
that  you  may  have  a  thousand  infirmities,  and  even  scarcely  knov/ 
whether  you  are  a  child  of  God  at  all,  and  yet  I  am  persuaded,  be- 
yond a  doubt,  that  you  are  safe,  since  Jesus  is  great  in  your 
esteem.  I  care  not  for  thy  rags ;  what  thinkest  thou  of  His  royal 
apparel  ?  I  care  not  for  thy  wounds,  though  they  bleed  in  torrents  ; 
what  thinkest  thou  of  His  wounds  ?  are  they  like  glittering  rubies 
in  thy  esteem  ?  I  think  none  the  less  of  thee,  though  thou  liest  like 
Lazarus  on  the  dunghill,  and  the  dogs  do  lick  thee — I  judge  thee 
not  by  thy  poverty :  what  thinkest  thou  of  the  King  in  His  beauty  ? 
Has  He  a  glorious  high  throne  in  thy  heart?  Wouldst  thou  set 
Him  higher  if  thou  couldst?  Wouldst  thou  be  willing  to  die  if 
thou  couldst  but  add  another  trumpet  to  the  strain  which  pro- 
claims His  praise  ?  Ah  !  then  it  is  well  with  thee.  Whatever  thou 
mayest  think  of  thyself,  if  Christ  be  great  to  thee,  thou  shalt  be  with 
Him  ere  long. 

Though  all  the  world  my  choice  deride, 

Yet  Jesus  shall  my  portion  be ; 
For  I  am  pleased  with  none  beside  ; 

The  fairest  of  the  fair  is  He. 


THE   PRODIGAL   SON. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  373 

THE  PRODIGAL  SON. 
(LUKE  15:11-20.) 

"And  He  said,  A  certain  man  had  two  sons : 

"And  the  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father,  Father,  give  me 
the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me.  And  he  divided  unto  them 
his  Hving. 

"And  not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered  all  to- 
gether, and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country,  and  there  wasted 
his  substance  with  riotous  living. 

"And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine  in 
that  land ;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want. 

"And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that  country ; 
and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine. 

"And  he  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the  husks  that  the 
swine  did  eat ;  and  no  man  gave  unto  him. 

"And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  How  many  hired 
servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough  .and  to  spare,  and  I 
perish  with  hunger! 

"I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him. 
Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee, 

"And  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son:  make  me  as 
one  of  thy  hired  servants. 

"And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.  But  when  he  was  yet 
a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran, 
and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him." 

"And  the  son  said  unto  him.  Father,  I  have  sinned  agamsl 
heaven,  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy 
son. 

"But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,  Bring  forth  the  best  robe, 
and  put  it  on  him ;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his 
feet: 

"And  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it;  and  let  us  eat,  and 
be  merry : 

"For  this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;  he  was  lost,  and 
is  found.    And  they  began  to  be  merry. 

"Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field :  and  as  he  came  and  drew 
nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing. 

"And  he  called  one  of  the  servants,  and  asked  what  these  things 
meant. 


374  DIVINE     HEALING . 

"And  he  said  unto  him,  Thy  brother  is  come ;  and  thy  father 
hath  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  received  him  safe  and 
sound. 

"And  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in :  therefore  came  his 
father  out,  and  entreated  him. 

"And  he  answering  said  to  his  father,  Lo,  these  many  years  do 
I  serve  thee,  neither  transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  commandment : 
and  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make  merry  with 
my  friends : 

"But  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  was  come,  which  hath  devoured  thy 
living  with  harlots,  thou  hast  killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf. 

"And  he  said  unto  him.  Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all 
that  I  have  is  thine. 

"It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry,  and  be  glad :  for  this 
thy  brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  and  was  lost,  and  is 
found." 

THE  RETURNING  PRODIGAL. 

The  long-lost  son,  with  streaming  eyes, 

From  folly  just  awake, 
Reviews  his  wand'rings  with  surprise ; 

His  heart  begins  to  break. 

I  starve,  he  cries,  nor  can  I  bear 

The  famine  in  this  land, 
While  servants  of  my  Father  share 

The  bounty  of  his  hand. 

With  deep  repentance  I'll  return, 

And  seek  my  Father's  face  ; 
Unworthy  to  be  called  a  son, 

I'll  ask  a  servant's  place. 

Far  off  the  Father  saw  him  move — 

In  pensive  silence  mourn — 
And  quickly  ran,  with  arms  of  love, 

To  welcome  his  return. 

Through  all  the  courts  the  tidings  flew. 

And  spread  the  joy  around ; 
The  angels  tuned  their  harps  anew — 

The  long-lost  son  is  found  ! 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  375 

It  is  quite  certain  that  those  whom  Christ  has  washed  in  His 
precious  blood  need  not  make  a  confession  of  sin,  as  culprits  or 
criminals,  before  God  the  Judge,  for  Christ  has  forever  taken 
away  all  their  sins  in  a  legal  sense,  so  that  they  no  longer  stand 
where  they  can  be  condemned,  but  are  once  for  all  accepted  in  the 
Beloved ;  but  having  become  children,  and  offending  as  children, 
ought  they  not  every  day  to  go  before  their  heavenly  Father  and 
confess  their  sin,  and  acknowledge  their  iniquity  in  that  character  ? 
Nature  teaches  that  it  is  the  duty  of  erring  children  to  make  a 
confession  to  their  earthly  father,  and  the  grace  of  God  in  the 
heart  teaches  us  that  we,  as  Christians,  owe  the  same  duty  to  our 
heavenly  Father.  We  daily  ofifend,  and  ought  not  to  rest  without 
daily  pardon.  For,  supposing  that  my  trespasses  against  my 
Father  are  not  at  once  taken  to  Him  to  be  washed  away  by  the 
cleansing  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  what  will  be  the  consequence  ? 
If  I  have  not  sought  forgiveness  and  been  washed  from  these 
ofifences  against  my  Father,  I  shall  feel  at  a  distance  from  Him ;  I 
shall  doubt  His  love  to  me,  I  shall  tremble  at  Him ;  I 
shall  be  afraid  to  pray  to  Him ;  I  shall  grow  like  the  prodigal, 
who,  although  still  a  child,  was  yet  far  off  from  his  father.  But 
if,  with  a  child's  sorrow  at  offending  so  gracious  and  loving  a 
Parent,  I  go  to  Him  and  tell  Him  all,  and  rest  not  till  I  realize  that 
I  am  forgiven,  then  I  shall  feel  a  holy  love  to  my  Father,  and  shall 
go  through  my  Christian  career,  not  only  as  saved,  but  as  one  en- 
joying present  peace  in  God  through  Jesus  Christ  my  LOrd.  There 
is  a  wide  distinction  between  confessing  sin  as  a  culprit,  and  con- 
fessing sin  as  a  child.  The  Father's  bosom  is  the  place  for  penitent 
confessions.  We  have  been  cleansed  once  for  all,  but  our  feet  still 
need  to  be  washed  from  the  defilement  of  our  daily  walk  as  children 
of  God. 


THE  COMFORTER,  WHICH  IS  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 
(JOHN  14:2().) 

''But  the  Comforter,  ivhich  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  Whom  the 
Father  will  send  in  My  name,  He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and 
bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  w^iatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you." 

This  age  is  peculiarly  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in 
which  Jesus  cheers  us  not  by  His  personal  presence,  as  He  shall 


376  DIVINE      HEALING. 

do  by  and  by,  but  by  the  indwelling  and  constant  abiding  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  is  evermore  the  Comforter  of  the  church.  It 
is  His  office  to  console  the  hearts  of  God's  people.  He  convinces 
of  sin ;  He  illuminates  and  instructs ;  but  still  the  main  part  of  His 
work  lies  in  making  glad  the  hearts  of  the  renewed,  in  confirming 
the  weak,  and  lifting  up  all  those  that  be  bowed  down.  He  does 
this  by  revealing  Jesus  to  them.  The  Holy  Spirit  consoles,  but 
Christ  is  the  consolation.  If  we  may  use  the  figure,  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  Physician,  but  Jesus  is  the  medicine.  He  heals  the  wound, 
but  it  is  by  applying  the  holy  ointment  of  Christ's  name  and  grace. 
He  takes  not  of  His  own  things,  but  of  the  things  of  Christ.  So, 
if  we  give  to  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Greek  name  of  Paraclete,  as  we 
sometimes  do,  then  our  heart  confers  on  our  blessed  Lord  Jesus  the 
title  of  the  Paraclesis.  If  the  one  be  the  Comforter,  the  other  is 
the  Comfort.  Now,  with  such  rich  provision  for  his  need,  why 
should  the  Christian  be  sad  and  desponding  ?  The  Holy  Spirit  has 
graciously  engaged  to  be  thy  Comforter :  dost  thou  imagine,  O 
thou  weak  and  trembling  believer,  that  He  will  be  negligent  of  His 
sacred  trust  ?  Canst  thou  suppose  that  He  has  undertaken  what  He 
cannot  or  will  not  perform  ?  If  it  be  His  especial  work  to  strengthen 
thee,  and  to  comfort  thee,  dost  thou  suppose  He  has  forgotten  His 
business,  or  that  He  will  fail  in  the  loving  office  which  He  sustains 
towards  thee  ?  Nay,  think  not  so  hardly  of  the  tender  and  blessed 
Spirit  whose  name  is  "the  Comforter."  He  delights  to  give  the  oil 
of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit 
of  heaviness.  Trust  thou  in  Him,  and  He  will  surely  comfort  thee 
till  the  house  of  mourning  is  closed  forever,  and  the  marriage 
feast  has  begun. 


AND   KNEW   NOT   UNTIL  THE  FLOOD  CAME  AND   TOOK    THEM 

ALL   AWAY.       SO   ALSO    SHALL    THE   COMING 

OF   THE   SON   OF    MAN    BE." 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  379 

AND  KNEW  NOT  UNTIL  THE  FLOOD  CAME  AND 
TOOK  THEM  ALL  AWAY.  SO  ALSO  SHALL 
THE  COMING  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN  BE. 

(matt.  24:27-39.) 

"For  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even 
unto  the  west ;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be. 

"For  wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be 
gathered  together. 

"Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  shall  the  sun 
be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars 
shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be 
shaken. 

"And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven : 
and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see 
the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 
great  glory. 

"And  He  shall  send  His  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a 
trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  His  elect  from  the  four 
winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other. 

"Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree;  When  his  branch  is  yet 
tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is  nigh. 

"So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that 
it  is  near,  ez'e^t  at  the  doors. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you.  This  generation  shall  not  pass,  till  all 
these  things  be  fulfilled. 

"Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  My  words  shall  not 
pass  away. 

"But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels 
of  heaven,  but  My  Father  only. 

"But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man  be. 

"For  as  in  the  days  that  were  before  the  flood  they  were  eating 
and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that 
Noe  entered  into  the  ark, 

"And  knew  not  until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away ; 
so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be." 

Universal  was  the  doom ;  neither  rich  nor  poor  escaped :  the 
learned  and  illiterate,  the  admired  and  the  abhorred,  the  religious 


380  DIVINE     HEALING. 

and  the  profane,  the  old  and  the  young,  all  sank  in  one  common 
ruin.  Some  had  doubtless  ridiculed  the  patriarch — where  now 
their  merry  jests?  Others  had  threatened  him  for  his  zeal,  which 
they  counted  madness — where  now  their  boastings  and  hard 
speeches?  The  critic  who  judged  the  old  man's  work  is  drowned 
in  the  same  sea  which  covers  his  sneering  companions.  Those  who 
spoke  patronizingly  of  the  good  man's  fidelity  to  his  convictions, 
but  shared  not  in  them,  have  sunk  to  rise  no  more,  and  the  workers 
who  for  pay  helped  to  build  the  wondrous  ark,  are  all  lost  also. 
The  flood  swept  them  all  away,  and  made  no  single  exception. 
Even  so,  out  of  Christ,  final  destruction  is  sure  to  every  man  of 
woman  born  ;  no  rank,  possession,  or  character,  shall  suffice  to  save 
a  single  soul  who  has  not  believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Dear  reader, 
behold  this  wide-spread  judgment,  and  tremble  at  it. 

How  marvellous  the  general  apathy !  they  were  all  eating  and 
drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  till  the  awful  morning 
dawned.  There  was  not  one  wise  man  upon  earth  out  of  the 
ark.  Folly  duped  the  whole  race,  folly  as  to  self-preservation — the 
most  foolish  of  all  follies.  Folly  in  doubting  the  most  true  God 
— the  most  malignant  of  fooleries.  Strange,  my  soul,  is  it  not? 
All  men  are  negligent  of  their  souls  till  grace  gives  them  reason ; 
then  they  leave  their  madness  and  act  like  rational  beings,  but  not 
till  then. 

All,  blessed  be  God,  were  safe  in  the  ark  ;  no  ruin  entered  there. 
From  the  huge  elephant  down  to  the  tiny  mouse,  all  were  safe. 
The  timid  hare  was  equally  secure  with  the  courageous  lion,  the 
helpless  cony  as  safe  as  the  laborious  ox.  All  are  safe  in  Jesus. 
Reader,  art  thou  in  Him? 


I  AM  THE  BREAD  OF  LIFE. 

(JOHN  6:47-54.) 

"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on  Me  hath 
everlasting  life. 

"I  am  that  bread  of  life. 

"Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and  are  dead. 

"This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,  that  a  man 
may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die. 

"I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven :  if  any 


i///YD     AND     FAITH     CUKE.  381 

man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever :  and  the  bread  that  I 
will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world. 

*'The  Jews  therefore  strove  among  themselves,  saying,  How 
can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat  ? 

'Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Ex- 
cept ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye 
have  no  life  in  you. 

''Whoso  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal 
life ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day." 

This  is  an  invitation  to  enjoy  fellowship  with  the  saints.  Chris- 
tains  may  differ  on  a  variety  of  points,  but  they  have  all  one 
spiritual  appetite ;  and  if  we  cannot  all  feel  alike,  we  can  all  feed 
alike  on  the  bread  of  life  sent  down  from  heaven.  At  the  table  of 
fellowship  with  Jesus  we  are  one  bread  and  one  cup.  As  the 
loving  cup  goes  round,  we  pledge  one  another  heartily  therein. 
Get  nearer  to  Jesus,  and  you  will  find  yourself  linked  more  and 
more  in  spirit  to  all  who  are,  like  yourself,  supported  by  the  same 
heavenly  manna.  If  we  were  more  near  to  Jesus,  we  should  be 
more  near  to  one  another.  We  likewise  see  in  these  words  the 
source  of  strength  for  every  Christian.  To  look  at  Christ  is  to 
live,  but  for  strength  to  serve  Him  you  must  "come  and  dine." 
We  labor  under  much  unnecessary  weakness  on  account  of  neg- 
lecting this  precept  of  the  Master.  We  none  of  us  need  to  put 
ourselves  on  low  diet ;  on  the  contrary,  we  should  fatten  on  the 
marrow  and  fatness  of  the  gospel,  that  we  may  accumulate 
strength  therein,  and  urge  every  power  to  its  full  tension  in  the 
Master's  service.  Thus,  then,  if  you  would  realize  nearness  to 
Jesus,  union  with  Jesus,  love  to  His  people,  and  strength  from 
Jesus,  "come  and  dine"  with  Him  by  faith. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  is  ever  giving,  and  does  not  for  a  solitary 
instant  withdraw  His  hand.  As  long  as  there  is  a  vessel  of  grace 
not  yet  full  to  the  brim,  the  oil  shall  not  be  stayed.  He  is  a  sun 
ever  shining ;  He  is  manna  always  falling  round  the  camp ;  He  is 
a  rock  in  the  desert,  ever  sending  out  streams  of  life  from  His 
smitten  side ;  the  rain  of  His  grace  is  always  dropping ;  the  river 
of  His  bounty  is  ever  flowing,  and  the  well-spring  of  His  love  is 
constantly  overflowing.  As  the  King  can  never  die,  so  His  grace 
can  never  fail.  Daily  we  pluck  His  fruit  and  daily  His  branches 
bend  down  to  our  hand  with  a  fresh  store  of  mercy.  There 
are  seven  feast  days  in  His  weeks,  and  as  many  as  are  the  days, 
so  many  are  the  banquets  in  His  years.     Who  has  ever  returned 


382  DIVINE     HEALING. 

from  His  door  unblessed  ?  Who  has  ever  risen  from  His  table  un- 
satisfied, or  from  His  bosom  un-emparadised  ?  His  mercies  are 
new  every  morning  and  fresh  every  evening.  Who  can  know 
the  number  of  His  benefits,  or  recount  the  list  of  His  bounties? 
Every  sand  which  drops  from  the  glass  of  time  is  but  the  tardy  fol- 
lower of  a  myriad  of  mercies.  The  wings  of  our  hours  are  covered 
with  the  silver  of  His  kindness,  and  with  the  yellow  gold  of  His 
affection.  The  river  of  time  bears  from  the  mountains  of  eternity 
the  golden  sands  of  His  favor.  The  countless  stars  are  but  as  the 
standard  bearers  of  a  more  innumerable  host  of  blessings. 


IF  THOU  BELIEVEST  WITH  ALL  THINE  HEART, 
THOU  MAYEST. 

(acts  8:37,  38.) 

"And  Philip  said.  If  thou  believest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou 
mayest.  And  he  answered  and  said,  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Son  of  God. 

"And  he  commanded  the  chariot  to  stand  still :  and  they  went 
down  both  into  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch;  and  he 
baptized  him." 

These  words  may  answer  your  scruples,  devout  reader,  concern- 
ing the  ordinances.  Perhaps  you  say,  'T  should  be  afraid  to 
be  baptized ;  it  is  such  a  solemn  thing  to  avow  myself  to  be  dead 
with  Christ,  and  buried  with  Him.  I  should  not  feel  at  liberty  to 
come  to  the  Master's  table ;  I  should  be  afraid  of  eating  and  drink- 
ing damnation  unto  myself,  not  discerning  the  Lord's  body."  Ah ! 
poor  trembler,  Jesus  has  given  you  liberty ;  be  not  afraid.  When 
Jesus  comes  into  the  heart,  He  issues  a  general  license  to  be  glad 
in  the  Lord.  No  chains  are  worn  in  the  court  of  King  Jesus.  Our 
admission  into  full  privileges  may  be  gradual,  but  it  is  sure. 
Perhaps  you  are  saying,  'T  wish  I  could  enjoy  the  promises,  and 
walk  at  liberty  in  my  Lord's  commands."  'Tf  thou  believest  with 
all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest."  Loose  the  chains  of  thy  neck,  O 
captive  daughter,  for  Jesus  makes  thee  free. 


MARY   AT   THE   FEET   OF  JESUS. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  385 

MARY  AT  THE  FEET  OF  JESUS. 
(LUKE  10:38-42.) 

"Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  He  entered  into  a 
certain  village :  and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received  Him 
into  her  house. 

"And  she  had  a  sister  called  Mary,  which  also  sat  at  Jesus'  feet, 
and  heard  His  word. 

"But  Martha  was  cumbered  about  much  serving,  and  came  to 
Him,  and  said,  Lord,  dost  Thou  not  care  that  my  sister  hath  left 
me  to  serve  alone?    Bid  her  therefore  that  she  help  me. 

"And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Martha,  Martha,  thou 
art  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things : 

"But  one  thing  is  needful:  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good 
part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

Her  fault  was  not  that  she  served :  the  condition  of  a  servant 
well  becomes  every  Christian.  "I  serve,"  should  be  the  motto  of 
all  the  princes  of  the  royal  family  of  heaven.  Nor  was  it  her  fault 
that  she  had  ''much  serving."  We  cannot  do  too  much.  Let  us  do 
all  that  we  possibly  can  ;  let  head,  and  heart,  and  hands  be  engaged 
in  the  Master's  service.  It  was  no  fault  of  hers  that  she  was  busy 
preparing  a  feast  for  the  Master.  Happy  Martha,  to  have  an  op- 
portunity of  entertaining  so  blessed  a  guest ;  and  happy,  too,  to 
have  the  spirit  to  throw  her  whole  soul  so  heartily  into  the  engage- 
ment. Her  fault  was  that  she  grew  ''cumbered  with  much  serv- 
ing," so  that  she  forgot  Him,  and  only  remembered  the  service. 
She  allowed  service  to  override  communion,  and  so  presented  one 
duty  stained  with  the  blood  of  another.  We  ought  to  be  Martha 
and  Mary  in  one,  we  should  do  much  service,  and  have  much  com- 
munion at  the  same  time.  For  this  we  need  great  grace.  It  is 
easier  to  serve  than  to  commune.  Joshua  never  grew  weary  in 
fighting  with  Amalekites  ;  but  Moses,  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  in 
prayer,  needed  two  helpers  to  sustain  his  hands.  The  more 
spiritual  the  exercise,  the  sooner  we  tire  in  it.  The  choicest  fruits 
are  the  hardest  to  rear;  the  most  heavenly  graces  are  the  most 
difficult  to  cultivate.  Beloved,  while  we  do  not  neglect  external 
things,  which  are  good  enough  in  themselves,  we  ought  also  to 
see  to  it  that  we  enjoy  living,  personal  fellowship  with  Jesus.  See 
to  it  that  sitting  at  the  Savior's  feet  is  not  neglected,  even  though 


386  DIVINE     HEALING. 

it  be  under  the  specious  pretext  of  doing  Him  service.  The  first 
thing  for  our  soul's  health,  the  first  thing  for  His  glory,  and  the 
first  thing  for  our  own  usefulness,  is  to  keep  ourselves  in  per- 
petual communion  with  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  to  see  that  the  vital 
spirituality  of  our  religion  is  maintained  over  and  above  everything 
else  in  the  world. 


JESUS  CHRIST  DISCOURSING  WITH  HIS  DISCIPLES 
IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  JEHOSAPHAT. 

(LUKE  11:9,  10.) 

"And  I  say  unto  you,  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and 
ye  shall  find  ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you. 

"For  every  one  that  asketh,  receiveth ;  and  he  that  seeketh, 
findeth ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh,  it  shall  be  opened.*' 

Jehovah  ''is  slozv  to  anger/'  When  mercy  cometh  into  the 
world  she  driveth  winged  steeds ;  the  axles  of  her  chariot-wheels 
are  red  hot  with  speed ;  but  when  wrath  goeth  forth,  it  toileth  on 
with  tardy  footsteps,  for  God  taketh  no  pleasure  in  the 
sinner's  death.  God's  rod  of  mercy  is  ever  in  His  hands  out- 
stretched; His  sword  of  justice  in  its  scabbard,  held  down  by 
that  pierced  hand  of  love  which  bled  for  the  sins  of  men. 

Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing. 
Which  before  the  cross  I  spend ; 

Life   and  health    and  peace  possessing 
From  the  sinner's  dying  Friend. 

Here  I'll  sit,  forever  viewing 

Mercy's  streams  in  drops  of  blood ; 

Precious  drops,  my  soul  bedewing. 

Plead  and  claim  my  peace  with  God. 


THE  TONGUE  AND  ITS  EVILS.— ST.  JAMES  PREACH- 
ING ON  MORALITY. 

"My  brethren,  be  not  many  masters,  knowing  that  we  shall 
receive  the  greater  condemnation. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE .  387 

"For  in  many  things  we  offend  all.  If  any  man- offend  not  in 
word,  the  same  is  a  perfect  man,  and  able  also  to  bridle  the  whole 
body. 

"Behold,  we  put  bits  in  the  horses'  mouths,  that  they  may  obey 
us ;  and  we  turn  about  their  whole  body. 

"Behold  also  the  ships,  which,  though  they  be  so  great,  and  are 
driven  by  fierce  winds,  yet  are  they  turned  about  with  a  very  small 
helm,  whithersoever  the  governor  listeth. 

"Even  so  the  tongue  is  a  little  member,  and  boasteth  great 
things.     Behold,  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth ! 

"And  the  tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  iniquity :  so  is  the  tongue 
among  our  members,  that  it  defileth  the  whole  body,  and  setteth  on 
fire  the  course  of  nature ;  and  it  is  set  on  fire  of  hell. 

"For  every  kind  of  beasts,  and  of  birds,  and  of  serpents,  and  of 
things  in  the  sea,  is  tamed,  and  hath  been  tamed  of  mankind : 

"But  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame ;  it  is  an  unruly  evil,  full  of 
deadly  poison. 

"Therewith  bless  we  God,  even  the  Father ;  and  therewith  curse 
we  men,  which  are  made  after  the  similitude  of  God. 

"Out  of  the  same  mouth  proceedeth  blessing  and  cursing.  My 
brethren,  these  things  ought  not  so  to  be. 

"But  if  ye  have  bitter  envying  and  strife  in  your  hearts,  glory 
not,  and  lie  not  against  the  truth. 

"This  wisdom  descendeth  not  from  above,  but  is  earthly, 
sensual,  devilish. 

"For  where  envying  and  strife  is,  there  is  confusion  and  every 
evil  work. 

"But  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable, 
gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy. 

"If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be  religious,  and  bridleth  not 
his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart,  this  man's  religion  is 
vain. 

"Wherefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  let  every  man  be  swift  to 
hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath : 

"For  the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God." 

"Above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not,  neither  by  heaven, 
neither  by  the  earth,  neither  by  any  other  oath  :  but  let  your  yea  be 
yea ;  and  your  nay,  nay ;  lest  ye  fall  into  condemnation. 

Is  any  among  you  afflicted  ?  let  him  pray.  Is  any  merry  ?  let 
him  sing  psalms. 


388  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Is  any  sick  among  you  ?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church ; 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord : 

"And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall 
raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall  be  for- 
given him. 

"Confess  your  faults  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for  another, 
that  ye  may  be  healed.  The  effectual,  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous 
man  availeth  much." 

In  the  development  of  Christian  truth,  a  peculiar  office  was 
assigned  to  the  apostle  James.  It  was  given  to  St.  Paul  to  pro- 
claim Christianity  as  the  spiritual  of  liberty,  and  to  exhibit  faith  as 
the  most  active  principle  within  the  breast  of  man  ;  it  was  given 
to  St.  John  to  say  that  the  deepest  quality  in  the  bosom  of  Deity 
is  love,  and  to  assert  that  the  life  of  God  in  man  is  love;  it  was 
the  office  of  St.  James  to  assert  the  necessity  of  moral  rectitude. 
His  very  name  marked  him  out  peculiarly  for  this  office.  He  was 
emphatically  called  the  "Just."  Integrity  was  his  peculiar  charac- 
teristic, a  man  singularly  honest,  earnest,  real.  Accordingly,  if 
you  read  through  his  whole  epistle,  you  will  find  it  is,  from  first  to 
last,  one  continual  vindication  of  the  first  principles  of  morality, 
against  the  semblances  of  religion. 

Now,  the  nature  of  man  is  to  adore  God,  and  to  love  what  is 
godlike  in  man.  The  office  of  the  tongue  is  to  bless.  Slander  is 
guilty,  because  it  contradicts  this ;  yet  even  in  slander  itself,  per- 
version as  it  is,  the  interest  of  man  in  man  is  still  distinguishable. 
What  is  it  but  perverse  interest  which  makes  the  acts  and  words 
and  thoughts  of  his  brethren,  even  in  their  evil,  a  matter  of  such 
strange  delight.  Remember,  therefore,  this  contradicts  our  nature 
and  your  destiny.  To  speak  ill  of  others  makes  you  a  monster  in 
God's  world.  Get  the  habit  of  slander,  and  then  there  is  not  a 
stream  which  bubbles  fresh  from  the  heart  of  nature,  there  is  not 
a  tree  that  silently  brings  forth  its  genial  fruit  in  its  appointed 
season,  which  does  not  rebuke  and  proclaim  you  a  monster  in 
God's  world.  Before  we  conclude,  let  us  get  at  the  root  of  the 
matter.  Man,  says  the  apostle  James,  was  made  in  the  image  of 
God.  To  slander  man  is  to  slander  God  ;  to  love  what  is  good  In 
man  is  to  love  it  in  God.  Love  is  the  only  remedy  for  slander.  No 
set  of  rules  or  restrictions  can  stop  it.  We  may  denounce,  but  we 
shall  denounce  in  vain.  The  radical  cure  of  it  is  charity,  out  of 
a  pure  heart,  and  faith  unfeigned.     To  feel  what  is  great  in  the 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  389 

human  character,  to  recognize  with  delight  all  high  and  generous 
and  beautiful  actions,  to  find  a  joy  even  in  seeing  the  good 
qualities  of  your  bitterest  opponent,  and  to  admire  those  qualities 
even  in  those  with  whom  you  have  least  sympathy,  this  is  the  only 
spirit  which  can  heal  the  love  of  slander  and  of  calumny.  If  we 
would  bless  God  we  must  first  learn  to  bless  man,  who  is  made  in 
the  image  of  God.  There  is  but  one  remedy  to  cure  this  evil  and 
that  is  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.    He  cleanseth  us  from  all  sins. 


THE  BLOOD  OF  JESUS  CHRIST,  HIS  SON,  CLEANSETH 
US  FROM  ALL  SIN. 

(1  JOHN  1:7.) 

"Cleanseth,"  says  the  text — not  ''shall  cleanse."  There  are 
multitudes  who  think  that  as  a  dying  hope  they  may  look  forward 
to  pardon.  Oh,  how  infinitely  better  to  have  cleansing  now  than  to 
depend  on  the  bare  possibility  of  forgiveness  when  I  come  to  die. 
"The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin'' — not 
only  from  sin,  but  "from  all  sin."  Reader,  I  cannot  tell  you  the 
exceeding  sweetness  of  this  word,  but  I  pray  God  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  give  you  a  taste  of  it.  Manifold  are  our  sins  against  God, 
Whether  the  bill  be  little  or  great,  the  same  receipt  can  discharge 
one  as  the  other.  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  is  as  blessed  and  divine 
a  payment  for  the  transgressions  of  blaspheming  Peter  as  for  the 
shortcomings  of  loving  John  ;  our  iniquity  is  gone,  all  gone  at  once, 
and  all  gone  forever.  Blessed  completeness  !  What  a  sweet  theme 
to  dwell  upon  as  one  gives  himself  to  sleep. 

Sins  against  a  holy  God ; 

Sins  against  His  righteous  laws ; 
Sins  against  His  love,  His  blood ; 

Sins  against  His  name  and  cause ; 
Sins  immense  as  is  the  sea — 
From  them  all  He  cleanseth  me. 

Sin  is  a  conquered  foe  to  every  soul  in  union  with  Jesus.  There 
is  no  sin  which  a  Christian  cannot  overcome  if  he  will  only  rely 
upon  his  God  to  do  it.  They  who  wear  the  white  robe  in  heaven 
overcame  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  we  may  do  the  same. 


390  DIVINE      HEALING. 

No  lust  is  too  mighty,  no  besetting  sin  too  strongly  intrenched ;  we 
can  overcome  through  the  power  of  Christ.  Do  believe  it,  Chris- 
tian, that  thy  sin  is  a  condemned  thing.  It  may  kick  and  struggle, 
but  it  is  doomed  to  die.  God  has  written  condemnation  across  its 
brow.  Christ  has  crucified  it,  ''nailing  it  to  His  cross."  Go  now 
and  mortify  it,  and  the  Lord  help  you  to  live  to  His  praise,  for 
sin  with  all  its  guilt,  shame,  and  fear,  is  gone. 

Here's  pardon  for  transgressions  past. 
It  matters  not  how  black  their  cast ; 
And,  O  my  soul,  with  wonder  view. 
For  sins  to  come  here's  pardon,  too. 

Remember,  O  Christian,  that  thou  art  a  son  of  the  King  of 
kings.  Therefore,  keep  thyself  unspotted  from  the  world.  Soil 
not  the  fingers  which  are  soon  to  sweep  celestial  strings ;  let  not 
those  eyes  become  the  windows  of  lust  which  are  soon  to  see  the 
King  in  His  beauty — let  not  those  feet  be  defiled  in  miry  places 
which  are  soon  to  walk  the  golden  streets ;  let  not  those  hearts  be 
filled  with  pride  and  bitterness  which  are  ere  long  to  be  filled  with 
heaven,  and  to  overflow  with  ecstatic  joy. 

Then  rise,  my  soul !  and  soar  away. 

Above  the  thoughtless  crowd ; 
Above  the  pleasures  of  the  gay, 

And  splendors  of  the  proud  ; 

Up  where  eternal  beauties  bloom. 

And  pleasures  all  divine  : 
Where  wealth  that  never  can  consume, 

Ar.d  endless  glories  shine. 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  393 

THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

(mark  9:1-8.) 

Christ  went  up  into  the  top  of  Mount  Hermon,  and  while  there 
in  prayer  He  was  transfigured.  He  took  with  Him  Peter,  James, 
and  John,  because  they  hved  closer  to  Him  and  were  more  worthy 
than  the  rest  to  see  His  glory.  The  same  three  saw  His  agony  in 
the  garden.  The  other  disciples  were  not  close  enough  to  Him  to 
see  the  revelation. 

Moses,  representing  the  law,  and  Elijah,  the  prophets,  were 
there,  because  the  old  dispensation  would  honor  the  new,  but 
they  both  were  hidden  from  view  by  the  cloud,  to  show  that  the 
old  dispensation  would  pass  away,  and  Jesus  only  be  seen  and 
honored.  Christ  denied  Peter's  request  for  the  three  tabernacles 
because  the  law  and  the  prophets  were  fulfilled  in  Christ.  The 
mountain  top  was  not  their  normal  plane,  but  they  received  power 
up  there  to  go  below  in  the  valley  to  heal  the  lunatic.  Go  up  to 
the  mount  for  power,  then  go  to  the  valley  with  men,  and  be  useful. 

How  great  a  difference  between  Moses  and  Jesus !  When  the 
prophet  of  Horeb  had  been  forty  days  upon  the  mountain,  he 
underwent  a  kind  of  transfiguration,  so  that  his  countenance  shone 
with  exceeding  brightness,  and  he  put  a  veil  over  his  face,  for  the 
people  could  not  endure  to  look  upon  his  glory.  Not  so  our  Savior. 
He  had  been  transfigured  with  a  greater  glory  than  that  of  Moses, 
and  yet  it  is  not  written  that  the  people  were  blinded  by  the  blaze 
of  His  countenance,  but  rather  they  were  amazed,  and  running  to 
Him  they  saluted  Him.  The  glory  of  the  law  repels,  but  the 
greater  glory  of  Jesus  attracts.  Though  Jesus  is  holy  and  just, 
yet  blended  with  His  purity  there  is  so  much  of  truth  and  grace, 
that  sinners  run  to  Him  amazed  at  His  goodness,  fascinated  by 
His  love ;  they  salute  Him,  become  His  disciples,  and  take  Him  to 
be  their  Lord  and  Master.  Reader,  it  may  be  that  just  now  you  are 
blinded  by  the  dazzling  brightness  of  the  law  of  God.  You  feel 
its  claims  on  your  conscience,  but  you  cannot  keep  it  in  your 
life.  Not  that  you  find  fault  with  the  law  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  com- 
mands your  profoundest  esteem ;  still  you  are  in  no  wise  drawn 
by  it  to  God ;  you  are  rather  hardened  in  heart,  and  are  verging 
towards  desperation.  Ah,  poor  heart !  turn  thine  eye  from  Moses, 
with  all  his  repelling  splendor,  and  look  to  Jesus,   resplendent 


894  Diy  I  \  /•;      H  E  ALING. 

with  milder  glories.  Behold  His  flowing  wounds  and  thorn- 
crowned  head !  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  therein  He  is  greater 
than  Moses ;  but  He  is  the  Lord  of  love,  and  therein  more  tender 
than  the  lawgiver.  He  bore  the  wrath  of  God,  and  in  His  death 
revealed  more  of  God's  justice  than  Sinai  in  a  blaze;  but  that 
justice  is  now  vindicated,  and  henceforth  it  is  the  guardian  of 
believers  in  Jesus.  Look,  sinner,  to  the  bleeding  Savior,  and  as 
thou  feelest  the  attraction  of  His  love,  fly  to  His  arms,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved. 

THE  SON  OF  MAN. 
(JOHN  3:13-18.) 

"And  no  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he  that  came 
down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  heaven. 

"And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up : 

"That  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life. 

"For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life. 

"For  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the 
world ;  but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved. 

"He  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not  condemned :  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in 
the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God." 

How  constantly  our  Master  used  the  title,  the  "Son  of  Man" ! 
If  He  had  chosen,  He  might  always  have  spoken  of  Himself  as  the 
Son  of  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Wonderful,  the  Counsel- 
lor, the  Prince  of  Peace ;  but  behold  the  lowliness  of  Jesus !  He 
prefers  to  call  Himself  the  Son  of  man.  Let  us  learn  a  lesson  of 
humility  from  our  Savior ;  let  us  never  court  great  titles  nor  proud 
degrees.  There  is  here,  however,  a  far  sweeter  thought.  Jesus 
loved  manhood  so  much,  that  He  delighted  to  honor  it ;  and  since 
it  is  a  high  honor,  and,  indeed,  the  greatest  dignity  of  manhood, 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  Man,  He  is  wont  to  display  this  name,  that 
He  may,  as  it  were,  hang  royal  stars  upon  the  breast  of  manhood, 
and  show  forth  the  love  of  God  to  Abraham's  seed.  Son  of  Man — 
whenever  He  said  that  word.  He  shed  a  halo  round  the  head  of 


Mll^D     AND     FAITH     CURE.  395 

Adam's  children.  Yet  there  is  perhaps  a  more  precious  thought 
still.  Jesus  Christ  called  Himself  the  Son  of  Man  to  express  His 
oneness  and  sympathy  with  His  people.  He  thus  reminds  us  that 
He  is  one  whom  we  may  approach  without  fear.  As  a  man,  we 
may  take  to  Him  all  our  griefs  and  troubles,  for  He  knows  them 
by  experience;  in  that  He  Himself  hath  suffered  as  the  *'Son  of 
Man,"  He  is  able  to  succor  and  comfort  us.  All  hail,  Thou  blessed 
Jesus  !  inasmuch  as  Thou  art  evermore  using  the  sweet  name  which 
acknowledges  that  Thou  art  a  brother  and  a  near  kinsman,  it  is  to 
us  a  dear  token  of  Thy  grace,  Thy  humility,  Thy  love. 

Oh,  see  how  Jesus  trusts  Himself 

Unto  our  childish  love, 
As  though  by  His  free  ways  with  us, 

Our  earnestness  to  prove ! 

His  sacred  name  a  common  word 

On  earth  He  loves  to  hear, 
There  is  no  majesty  in  Him 

Which  love  may  not  come  near. 


AND  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  BRIDE  SAY  COME. 

(rev.  22:17.) 

"And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that 
heareth  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  who- 
soever will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely. 

WHOSOEVER  WILL. 

The  Spirit,  in  our  hearts, 

Is  whispering,  ''Sinner,  come" : 
The  bride,  the  church  of  Christ,  proclaims 

To  all   His  children,  "Come !" 


Let  him  that  heareth  say 

To  all  about  him,  "Come !" 

Let  him  that  thirsts  for  righteousness, 
To  Christ,  the  fountain,  come ! 


396  DIVINE     HE  ALING. 

Yea,  whosoever  will, 

O  let  him  freely  come. 
And  freely  drink  the  stream  of  life; 

'Tis  Jesus  bids  him  come. 

Lo,  Jesus,  who  invites, 

Declares,  "I  quickly  come" ; 
Lord,  even  so!  we  wait  Thine  hour; 

O  blest  Redeemer,  come ! 

H.    U.    ONDERDONK. 


Downcast  and  troubled  Christian,  come  and  glean  today  in  the 
broad  field  of  promise.  Here  are  abundance  of  precious  promises, 
which  exactly  meet  thy  wants.  Take  this  one :  ''He  will  not  break 
the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax."  Doth  not  that 
suit  thy  case  ?  A  reed,  helpless,  insignificant,  and  weak ;  a  bruised 
reed,  out  of  which  no  music  can  come;  weaker  than  weakness 
itself ;  a  reed,  and  that  reed  bruised,  yet  He  will  not  break  thee ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  will  restore  and  strengthen  thee.  Thou  art 
like  the  smoking  flax :  no  light,  no  warmth  can  come  from  thee ; 
but  He  will  not  quench  thee;  He  will  blow  with  His  sweet 
breath  of  mercy  till  He  fans  thee  to  a  flame.  Wouldst  thou  glean 
another  ear?  ''Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  What  soft  words !  Thy  heart  is 
tender,  and  the  Master  knows  it,  and  therefore  He  speaketh  so 
gently  to  thee.    Wilt  thou  not  obey  Him,  and  come  even  now  ? 

A  Christian  man  should  so  shine  in  his  life,  that  a  person  could 
not  live  with  him  a  week  without  knowing  the  gospel.  His  con- 
versation should  be  such  that  all  who  are  about  him  should  clearly 
perceive  whose  he  is,  and  whom  he  serves,  and  should  see  the 
image  of  Jesus  reflected  in  his  daily  actions.  Lights  are  intended 
for  guidance.  We  are  to  help  those  around  us  who  are  in  the  dark. 
We  are  to  hold  forth  to  them  the  word  of  life.  We  are  to 
point  sinners  to  the  Savior,  and  the  weary  to  a  divine  resting 
place.  Men  sometimes  read  their  Bibles,  and  fail  to  under- 
stand them  ;  we  should  be  ready,  like  Philip,  to  instruct  the  inquirer 
in  the  meaning  of  God's  Word,  the  way  of  salvation,  and  the  life 
of  godliness.  Lights  are  also  used  for  warning.  On  our  rocks 
and  shoals  a  lighthouse  is  sure  to  be  erected.  Christian  men  should 
know  that  there  are  many  false  lights  shown  everywhere  in  the 
world,  and  therefore  the  right  light  is  needed.     The  wreckers  of 


MIl^D     AND     FAITH     CURE.  397 

Satan  are  always  abroad,  tempting  the  ungodly  to  sin  under  the 
name  of  pleasure :  they  hoist  the  wrong  light ;  be  it  ours  to  put  up 
the  true  light  upon  every  dangerous  rock,  to  point  out  every  sin, 
and  tell  what  it  leads  to,  that  so  we  may  be  clear  of  the  blood  of 
all  men,  shining  as  lights  in  the  world.  Lights  also  have  a  very 
cheering  influence,  and  so  have  Christians.  A  Christian  ought  to 
be  a  comforter,  with  kind  words  on  his  lips,  and  sympathy  in  his 
heart ;  he  should  carry  sunshine  wherever  he  goes,  and  diffuse  hap- 
piness around  him. 

Gracious  Spirit,  dwell  with  me ; 
I  myself  would  gracious  be. 
And  with  words  that  help  and  heal, 
Would  Thy  life  in  mine  reveal. 
And  with  actions  bold  and  meek. 
Would  for  Christ  my  Savior  speak. 


JESUS  SAT  AT  MEAT  WITH  MATTHEW.. 

(LUKE  15:10-18.) 

''And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the  house,  behold, 
many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat  down  with  Him  and 
His  disciples. 

"And  when  the  Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto  His  disciples, 
Why  eateth  your  master  with  publicans  and  sinners  ? 

"But  when  Jesus  heard  that,  He  said  unto  them.  They  that  be 
whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick. 

"But  go  ye  and  learn  what  that  meaneth,  I  will  have  mercy,  and 
not  sacrifice :  for  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance." 

Observe  the  condescension  of  this  fact.  This  Man  who  towers 
above  all  other  men,  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  froni 
sinners — this  Man  receiveth  sinners.  This  Man,  who  is  no  other 
than  the  eternal  God,  before  Whom  angels  veil  their  faces — this 
Man  receiveth  sinners.  It  needs  an  angel's  tongue  to  describe  such 
a  mighty  stoop  of  love.  When  Jesus  receives  sinners,  He  has  not 
some  out-of-door  reception-place,  no  casual  ward  where  He 
charitably  entertains  them  as  men  do  passing  beggars,  but  He 
opens  the  golden  gates  of  His  royal  heart,  and  receives  the  sinner 


398  DIVIN'E      HEALING. 

right  into  Himself — yea,  He  admits  the  humble  penitent  into 
personal  union,  and  makes  him  a  member  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh, 
and  of  His  bones.  There  was  never  such  a  reception  as  this !  This 
fact  is  still  most  sure  this  evening.  He  is  still  receiving  sinners : 
would  to  God  sinners  would  receive  Him. 

O  that  I  could  the  blessing  prove. 

My  heart's  extreme  desire ! 
Live  happy  in  my  Savior's  love. 

And  in  His  arms  expire ! 

Nothing  I  ask  or  want  beside. 

Of  all  in  earth  or  heaven. 
But  let  me  feel  Thy  blood  applied. 

And  live  and  die  forgiven. 


,T^^-^ 


0^ 


M  I  X  D     AND     FAITH     CURE.  401 

A  CERTAIN  MAN  MADE  A  GREAT  SUPPER. 

(LUKE  14:23.) 

"Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city  and  bring 
in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed,  and  the  halt,  and  the  blind ; 
and  the  servant  said,  Lord,  it  is  done  as  Thou  hast  commanded, 
and  yet  there  is  room.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  the  servant,  go 
out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in, 
that  my  house  may  be  filled." 


AND   YET   THER5    IS   ROOM. 

Ye  wretched,  starving  poor. 

Behold   a  royal,  feast! 
Where  mercy  spreads  her  bounteous  store 

For  every  humble  guest. 

See,  Christ,  with  open  arms. 

Invites,  and  bids  you  come; 
O  stay  not  back,  though  fear  alarms; 

For  yet  there  still  is  room. 

O  come,  and  with  us  taste 

The  blessings  of  His  love : 
While  hope  expects  the  sweet  repast 

Of  nobler  joys  above. 

There,  with  united  voice. 

Before  the   eternal   throne. 
Ten  thousand  thousand  souls  rejoice, 

In  ecstasies  unknown. 

Ten  thousand  thousand  more 

Are  welcome  still  to  come: 
Ye  longing  souls,  the  grace  adore ; 

Approach — there  yet  is  room. 

Jesus  was  ever  the  man  of  God  as  well  as  the  God  man.  His 
mission  was  never  obscured  by,  or  ignored  because  of  his  sur- 
roundings. Always  about  His  Father's  business,  other  consider- 
ations were  held  in  subordination  and  made  contributory  thereunto. 


402  DIVINE     HEALING. 

The  scene  is  laid  in  the  closing  days  of  His  ministry,  at  the 
table  of  a  Pharisee.  Surrounded  by  vigilant  enemies  who 
"watched"  for  an  occasion  against  Him.  Yet  even  this  did  not 
deter  Him  from  exercising  His  gift  of  healing. 

But  there  was  need  of  a  lesson  in  humility  as  well  as  healing 
to  those  who  jostled  each  other  in  their  scramble  for  the  highest 
places.  "And  (for  this  purpose)  He  put  forth  a  parable  to  those 
which  were  bidden,  when  He  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief 
rooms,"  etc. 

But,  with  opulent  guests  occupying  the  tables,  while  the  suf- 
fering poor  feasted  only  with  their  eyes,  and  thronged  the  walls 
in  hungry  longing,  a  lesson  in  true  hospitality  was  requisite. 
**Then  said  He  also  to  him  that  bade  Him." 

One  of  the  guests,  by  the  law  of  association,  and  doubtless 
fearing  that  the  discourse  was  becoming  too  didactic  for  a  polite 
reception  and  thinking  to  divert  it  into  another  channel,  said: 
"Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God."  But 
this  was  made  a  text  for  the  exposure  of  their  spirit  and  ainis. 
As  much  as  to  say,  you  think  so,  do  you?  But,  instead  of  so 
receiving,  and  rejoicing  in  the  provisions  of  Messiah's  kingdom 
as  you  say,  this  is  the  reception  which  you  and  your  class  will 
give — yea,  after  the  similitude  of  this  parable  are  now  giving  it, 
"A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper,"  etc. 

The  giver  of  the  supper  is  God.  The  supper  given  is  the 
gospel.  The  first  and  long  invited  are  the  Jews,  of  the  repre- 
sentative, the  trained,  the  priestly,  the  Pharasaic  classes.  They 
were  first  invited  by  Moses,  the  prophets,  the  psalmists  and  all 
the  inspired  teachers  sent  them.  Those  represented  by  the  ser- 
vant, who  notified  them  that  the  feast  was  ready,  were  John  the 
Baptist,  Jesus  and  His  disciples.  Their  excuses  to  the  servant 
show  their  rejection  of  the  Savior  and  His  method  of  salvation. 

Those  of  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city  represent  the  outcast 
Jews.  In  eastern  countries  there  are  no  almshouses,  hospitals  or 
asylums,  and  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  halt  and  the  blind,  have 
nothing  for  it  but  the  street.  Here  they  live,  and  beg  and  suffer 
and  starve  and  die.  Their  physical  miseries  are  but  types  of 
mental  and  moral  conditions.  The  servant  inviting  knew  that 
these  were  included,  and  so  anticipated  the  Master's  command, 
and  invited  them  before  the  specified  order  was  given,  and  re- 
plied :     "Lord,  it  is  done  as  Thou  hast  commanded,  and  yet  there 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  403 

is  room."  There  is  that  upon  the  very  face  of  the  gospel  which 
shows  it,  without  evidence  or  argument,  to  be  for  the  suffering 
and  the  needy. 

*'Go  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and  compel  them  to  ccme 
in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled."  There  is  in  the  east  a  class  so 
vile  in  their  diseases  and  informities,  that  being  too  horrible  to 
look  upon,  and  too  dangerous,  either  from  contagion  or  infec- 
tion, they  are  driven  from  the  cities  to  the  sparsely  settled  places 
of  the  country.  These  represent  the  Gentile  world  in  the  appli- 
cation, and  so  go  to  make  up  the  crime-stained  and  misery-stricken 
of  the  whole  human  family  who  have  a  place  in  the  merits  of  Jesus, 
and  an  interest  in  His  atonement.  We  with  the  whole  Gentile 
world  have  our  opportunities  in  this  invitation  to  the  outcasts  in 
the  highways  and  hedges. 

O,  for  a  trumpet  voice. 

On  all  the  world  to  call. 

To  bid  their  hearts   rejoice 

In  Him  who  died  for  all; 

For  all  my  Lord  was  crucified; 

For  all,  for  all,  my  Savior  died. 

Yes,  we  rejoice  that  the  gospel  is  for  all  the  unsaved  every- 
where. But  do  you  actually  realize  just  what  it  means?  It  means 
that  a  penitentiary  convict,  with  cropped  hair  and  striped  gar- 
ments, has  as  much  right  and  title  to  Jesus  Christ  and  His  salva- 
tion, as  a  vestal  virgin.  It  means  that  the  poor  fallen,  corrupted 
and  corrupting  woman  of  the  street  has  as  much  claim  upon  the 
merits  and  mercy  of  Jesus  as  the  purest  white-souled  girl  taught 
in  your  Sunday  school  and  reared  in  a  Christian  home. 

This  fountain  is  open  for  sin  and  uncleanness  everywhere,  and 
for  everybody. 

The  dying  thief  rejoiced  to  see 

That  fountain  in  his  day; 
And  there  may  I,  though  vile  as  he, 

Wash  all  my  sins  away. 

The  poor,  the  lame,  and  the  blind  called  unto  the  supper.  Jesus 
went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chief  Pharisees,  and  while  there 
spoke  a  parable  about  a  man    vrho  made  a  great  supper.     When 


404  DIVINE     HEALING. 

everything  is  set  on  his  table,  the  man  sends  his  servant  to  those 
who  were  invited,  saying.  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready,  but 
they  began  with  one  accord  to  make  excuse.  The  first  said,  I 
have  bought  a  piece  of  ground,  and  must  go  and  see  it.  I  pray 
thou  wilt  have  me  excused.  Another  said,  I  have  bought  five 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  am  going  to  try  them ;  I  pray  thee,  have  me 
excused.  And  another  said,  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  there- 
fore, I  cannot  come.  So  the  servant  came  and  told  his  master 
these  things.  Then,  the  master,  being  angry,  said  to  him.  Go 
quickly  into  the  streets,  and  bring  into  my  house,  the  poor,  the 
lame  and  the  blind,  and  the  servant  did  as  he  was  commanded. 
Afterward,  he  came  to  his  master,  saying,  I  have  done  as  thou 
hast  commanded  me,  and  there  is  room  for  still  more.  The 
master  said.  Go,  again,  through  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city 
and  make  the  people  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled,  for 
I  declare  that  none  of  these  men  who  were  first  invited  shall  taste 
of  my  supper.  In  the  parable,  the  man  who  gave  the  supper 
means  God ;  the  supper  itself  means  the  good  news  of  the  gospel : 
the  servant  means  God's  ministers,  who  preach  the  gospel,  and 
the  men  who  were  first  invited  and  would  not  come,  means  the 
Jews,  because  the  gospel  was  preached  to  them  first,  and  they 
would  not  believe  it.  The  men  who  were  brought  into  the  supper 
afterwards  means  the  people  of  other  nations,  who  have  heard 
the  gospel  since  that  time,  and  have  obeyed  it.  And  the  com- 
mand to  go  out  into  the  streets  and  lanes  and  bring  them  in,  means 
that  not  only  the  rich  and  the  great,  but  also  the  poor  and 
despised,  are  invited  to  come  and  be  saved. 

I  think  I  see  the  servant  who  goes  on  this  executive  mission 
He  stops  at  a  poor,  miserable  beggar,  outside  the  city  limits,  too 
vile  to  come  in.  He  goes  up  to  him  and  touching  him,  says,  "My 
Master  wants  you  to  come  and  feast  with  Him,  right  away." 
"Out  upon  you,  how  can  you  mock  a  man  in  such  distress  as  I ;  I 
haven't  had  food  for  three  days,  and  you  mock  my  misery."  "No, 
my  poor  friend,  I  do  not.  My  Master  has  a  great  feast  prepared 
and  has  hundreds  of  such  as  you  to  eat  it,  and  sent  me  to  bring 
you  in."  "Oh,  it  cannot  be,  yet  I  am  so  hungry."  "Yes,  it  is, 
come  with  me."  "No,  I  can't  go,  I  am  too  dirty  to  go  into  a 
gentleman's  house."  "That  is  all  right,  my  Master  has  the 
carriers  bringing  water,  and  they  have  filled  all  the  baths,  and 
everyone  is  washed  thoroughly;  come." 

"No,  I  cannot ;  look  at  these  rags ;  they  are  filthy  and  filled  with 


M  IN  D     AN  D     FAITH     CU  RE  .  405 

vermin,  and  I  have  no  other."  "That  is  all  right.  We  have  a 
fire  built  with  orders  to  burn  all  these  rags,  and  Master  is  giving 
everyone  a  new  suit  of  clothes  from  His  own  wardrobe."  "But 
look  at  my  sores ;  they  have  not  been  dressed  for  days,  and  are 
awfully  offensive.    No,  I  cannot  go." 

"Yes,  you  can ;  my  Master  has  sent  for  all  the  physicians  of 
the  city,  with  their  ointments,  and  they  have  orders  to  dress  all 
the  ulcers  and  apply  the  ointments.  Now,  you  will  come,  won't 
you?" 

'T  can't  walk  so  far,  I  am  weak,  very  weak ;  1  have  eaten 
nothing  for  three  days." 

How  much  like  him  who  ''forsook  a  throne  and  sat  down  upon 
his  own  foot  stool ;  who  came  down  from  the  top  of  glory  to  the 
bottom  of  humiliation  and  exchanged  a  circumference  seraphic 
for  a  circumference  diabolic ;  once  waited  on  by  angels,  now 
hissed  at  by  brigands.  From  afar  and  high  He  came  down  by 
starry  thrones,  Himself  more  lustrous ;  passed  meteors  swifter 
than  they;  from  worlds  larger  to  worlds  smaller — down  stairs 
of  firmaments,  from  cloud  to  cloud,  through  tree  tops,  into  the 
camel's  stall,  to  take  through  His  own  vitals  the  darts  of  pain 
and  wrap  Himself  in  all  the  anguish  that  we  deserved  for  our  mis- 
doings, and  stood  upon  the  splitting  decks  of  a  stranded  vessel, 
drenched  with  the  surf  of  the  sea,  and  spent  midnights  on  moun- 
tains, amid  wild  beasts  of  prey,  and  stood  where  all  earthly  and 
infernal  antagonisms  charged  upon  Him  with  their  sharp  sword-, 
our  substitute." 

And  all  this  out  of  loving  sympathy  for  us.  To  compel  us 
to  come  to  His  feast,  we  who  leave  our  brethren  to  starve  and 
die.  Oh,  where  is  thine  own  heart  of  pity  for  those  others  over 
whom  he  sweated -great  drops  of  blood  and  for  whom  ''he  endured 
the  cross,  despised  the  shame  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God."  Compel,  oh,  compel  them  in  like  manner 
to  come  in.  The  church  that  ignores  the  poor  of  today  is  the 
church  without  a  future.  The  church  which  sympathizes  with 
and  wins  the  poor  today  will  have  the  wealthy  of  the  next  gen- 
eration. But  more,  much  more  than  this,  it  "shall  save  souls 
from  death  and  hide  multitudes  of  sins." 

Go  where  they  are.  In  homes  of  affluence  you  will  find  many 
starving  souls ;  in  the  garrets  of  poverty,  in  the  walks  of  virtue  and 
in  the  haunts  of  vice,  in  the  halls  of  plenty  and  in  the  purlieus  of 
hunger,  famishing  immortals  await  your  coming  and  can  be 
saved  for  the  effort  you  are  capable  of  making. 


406  DIVINE      HEALING. 

Go  where  they  are.  Thus  it  is  written  and  thus  it  behooveth 
Christ  to  suffer  and  to  rise  from  the  dead,  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  might  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  na- 
tions, beginning  at  Jerusalem.  Go,  then,  shouting  everywhere,  in 
streets  and  lanes,  in  highways  and  hedges : 

Sent  by  my  Lord,  on  you  I  call, 

The  invitation  is  to  all. 

Come  all  the  world,  come  sinners  thou, 

All  things  in  Christ  are  ready  now. 

Come  all  ye  souls  by  sin  oppressed, 
Ye  restless  wanderers  after  rest; 
Ye  poor  and  maimed,  ye  halt  and  blind, 
In  Christ  a  heartv  welcome  find. 


THE    RAISING   OF    LAZARUS. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  409 

THE  RAISING  OF  LAZARUS. 
(JOHN  11:41-44.) 

''Then  they  took  away  the  stone  from  the  place  where  the  dead 
was  laid.  And  Jesus  Hfted  up  His  eyes,  and  said,  Father,  I  thanic 
Thee  that  Thou  hast  heard  me. 

"And  I  knew  that  Thou  hearest  me  always :  but  because  of 
the  people  which  stand  by  I  said  it,  that  they  may  believe  that 
Thou  hast  sent  me. 

"And  when  He  thus  had  spoken.  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
Lazarus,  come  forth. 

"And  he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with 
graveclothes ;  and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  napkin.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them.  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go." 

THIS  SICKNESS   IS   NOT  UNTO  DEATH.       (jOHN    11:4.) 

From  our  Lord's  words  we  learn  that  there  is  a  limit  to  sick- 
ness. Here  is  an  "unto"  within  which  its  ultimate  end  is  re- 
strained, and  beyond  which  it  cannot  go.  Lazarus  might  pass 
through  death,  but  death  was  not  to  be  the  ultimatum  of  his 
sickness.  In  all  sickness,  the  Lord  saith  to  the  waves  of  pain, 
"Hitherto  shall  ye  go,  but  no  farther."  His  fixed  purpose  is  not 
the  destruction,  but  the  instruction  of  His  people.  Wisdom  hangs 
up  the  thermometer  at  the  furnace  mouth,  and  regulates  the 
heat. 

1.  The  limit  is  encouragingly  comprehensive.  The  God  of 
Providence  has  limited  the  time,  manner,  intensity,  repetition  and 
effects  of  all  our  sicknesses  ;  each  throb  is  decreed,  each  sleep- 
less hour  predestinated,  each  relapse  ordained,  each  depression 
of  spirit  foreknown,  and  each  sanctifying  result  eternally  pur- 
posed. Nothing  great  or  small  escapes  the  ordaining  hand  of 
Him  who  numbers  the  hairs  of  our  head. 

2.  This  limit  is  zvisely  adjusted  to  our  strength,  to  the  end 
designed,  and  to  the  grace  apportioned.  Affliction  comes  not  at 
haphazard — the  weight  of  every  stroke  of  the  rod  is  accurately 
measured.  He  who  made  no  mistakes  in  balancing  the  clouds 
and  meting  out  the  heavens,  commits  no  errors  in  measuring  out 


410  DIVINE     HEALING 

the  ingredients  which  compose  the  medicine  of  souls.    We  cannot 
suffer  too  much,  nor  be  reheved  too  late. 

3.  The  limit  is  tenderly  appointed.  The  knife  of  the  heavenly 
Surgeon  never  cuts  deeper  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  ''He 
doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  A 
mother's  heart  cries,  "Spare  my  child!"  but  no  mother  is  more 
compassionate  than  our  gracious  God.  When  we  consider  how 
hard-mouthed  we  are,  it  is  a  wonder  that  we  are  not  driven  with 
a  sharper  bit.  The  thought  is  full  of  consolation,  that  He  who 
has  fixed  the  bounds  of  our  habitation  has  also  fixed  the  bounds 
of  our  tribulation. 


FATHER,  I  WILL  THAT  THEY  ALSO    WHOM  THOU 
HAST  GIVEN  ME  BE  WITH  ME  WHERE  I  AM. 

(JOHN  17:24.) 

''Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me  be 
with  Me  where  I  am ;  that  they  may  behold  My  glory  which  Thou 
hast  given  Me ;  for  Thou  lovedst  Me  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world." 

Christ  dries  our  tears  by  His  revelation  of  forgiveness.  In  His 
limitless  forgiveness  the  bitterest  tears  of  reproach  and  remorse  are 
dried  away. 

Christ  gives  us  tearless  eyes  by  His  revelation  of  our  share  in 
His  own  destiny.  "Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast 
given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  My  glory 
which  Thou  hast  given  Me."  Nothing  can  disappoint  that  will. 
The  destiny  of  Christ  is  the  destiny  of  every  one  who  trusts  Him. 

Then  let  our  songs  abound 

And  every  tear  be  dry. 
We're  marching  through  Immanuel's  ground 

To  fairer  worlds  on  high. 

It  is  through  Jesus'  prevailing  prayer — "Father,  I  will  that 
they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am."  It 
is  that  which  bears  them  on  eagles'  wings  to  heaven.  Every  time 
a  believer  mounts  from  this  earth  to  paradise,  it  is  in  answer  to 
Christ's  prayer.     A  good  old  divine  remarks,  "Many  times  Jesus 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  411 

and  His  people  pull  against  one  another  in  prayer.  You  bend 
your  knee  in  prayer  and  say,  'Father,  I  will  that  Thy  saints  be 
with  me  where  /  am;'  Christ  says,  'Father,  I  will  that  they  also 
whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  /  am.'  "  Thus  the 
disciple  is  at  cross-purposes  with  his  Lord.  The  soul  cannot  be 
in  both  places :  the  beloved  one  cannot  be  with  Christ  and  with 
you,  too.  Now,  which  pleader  shall  win  the  day  ?  If  you  had  your 
choice ;  if  the  King  should  step  from  His  throne,  and  say,  ''Here 
are  two  supplicants  praying  in  opposition  to  one  another ;  which 
shall  be  answered?"  Oh!  I  am  sure,  though  it  were  agony,  you 
would  start  from  your  feet,  and  say,  "Jesus,  not  my  will,  but 
Thine  be  done."  You  would  give  up  your  prayer  for  your  beloved 
one's  life,  if  you  could  realize  the  thought  that  Christ  is  praying  in 
the  opposite  direction — ''Father,  I  will  that  they  also,  whom  Thou 
hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am."  Lord,  Thou  shalt  have 
them.    By  faith  we  let  them  go. 

Many  Christians  remain  stunted  and  dwarfed  in  spiritual  things 
so  as  to  present  the  same  appearance  year  after  year.  No  up- 
springing  of  advanced  and  refined  feeling  is  manifest  in  them. 
They  exist,  but  do  not  ''grow  up  into  Him  in  all  things/'  But 
should  we  rest  content  with  being  in  the  "green  blade,"  when  we 
might  advance  to  "the  ear,"  and  eventually  ripen  into  the  "full 
corn  in  the  ear"  ?  Should  we  be  satisfied  to  believe  in  Christ,  and  to 
say,  "I  am  safe,"  without  wishing  to  know  in  our  own  experience 
more  of  the  fullness  which  is  to  be  found  in  Him  ?  It  should  not  be 
so;  we  should,  as  good  traders  in  heaven's  market,  covet  to  be 
enriched  in  the  knowledge  of  Jesus.  It  is  all  very  well  to  keep 
other  men's  vineyards,  but  we  must  not  neglect  our  own  spiritual 
growth  and  ripening.  Why  should  it  always  be  winter  time  in 
our  hearts  ?  We  must  have  our  seed  time,  it  is  true ;  but  O  for 
a  spring  time — yea,  a  summer  season,  which  shall  give  promise  of 
an  early  harvest !  If  we  would  ripen  in  grace,  we  must  live  near 
to  Jesus — in  His  presence — ripened  by  the  sunshine  of  His  smiles. 
We  must  hold  sweet  communion  with  Him.  We  must  leave  the 
distant  view  of  His  face,  and  come  near,  as  John  did,  and  pillow 
our  heads  on  His  breast ;  then  shall  we  find  ourselves  advancing 
in  holiness,  in  love,  in  faith,  in  hope — yea,  in  every  precious  gift. 
As  the  sun  rises  first  on  mountain-tops,  and  gilds  them  with  his 
light,  and  presents  one  of  the  most  charming  sights  to  the  eye  of  the 
traveler,  so  is  it  one  of  the  most  delightful  contemplations  in  the 
world  to  mark  the  glow  of  the  Spirit's  light  on  the  head  of  some 


412  D  iriN  E      H  EALI  X  C,  . 

saint,  who  has  risen  up  in  spiritual  stature,  hke  Saul,  above  his  fel- 
lows, till,  like  a  mighty  Alp,  snow-capped,  he  reflects  first  among 
the  chosen  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  bears  the 
sheen  of  His  effulgence  high  aloft  for  all  to  see,  and  seeing  it,  to 
glorify  his  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 


YOU  SHOULD  BE  LIKE  JESUS. 

You  should  be  like  Jesus — very  valiant  for  your  God.  Imitate 
Him  in  your  loving  spirit ;  think  kindly,  speak  kindly,  and  do 
kindly,  that  men  may  say  of  you,  ''He  has  been  with  Jesus." 
Imitate  Jesus  in  His  holiness.  Was  He  zealous  for  His  Master':* 
So  be  you ;  ever  go  about  doing  good.  Let  not  time  be  wasted :  it 
is  too  precious.  Was  He  self-denying,  never  looking  to  His  own 
interest?  Be  the  same.  Was  He  devout?  Be  you  fervent  in 
your  prayers.  Had  He  deference  to  His  Father's  will?  So  sub- 
mit yourselves  to  Him.  Was  He  patient?  So  learn  to  endure. 
And,  best  of  all,  as  the  highest  portraiture  of  Jesus,  try  to  forgive 
your  enemies,  as  He  did ;  and  let  those  sublime  words  of  your 
Master,  "Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do,"  always  ring  in  your  ears.  Forgive,  as  you  hope  to  be  for- 
given. Heap  coals  of  fire  on  the  head  of  your  foe  by  your 
kindness  to  him.  Good  for  evil,  recollect,  is  godlike.  Be  godlike, 
then;  and  in  all  ways  and  by  all  means,  so  live  that  all  may  say 
of  you,   ''He  has  been  with   Jesus." 

Let  none  hear  you  idly  saying, 

"There  is  nothing  I  can  do," 
While  the  souls  of  men  are  dying 

And  the  Master  calls  for  you. 

Take  the  task  He  gives  you  gladly. 

Let  His  work  your  pleasure  be ; 
Answer  quickly  when  He  calleth, 

"Here  am  I,  send  me,  send  me." 


CHRIST   INSTITUTETH    HIS   HOLY   SUPPER. 


.  Or  r  ^  l^ 

JC^,     Or         '  ^    : 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  415 

CHRIST  INSTITUTETH  HIS  HOLY  SUPPER. 
(LUKE  22:14-20.) 

"And  when  the  hour  was  come,  He  sat  clown,  and  the  twelve 
apostles  with  Him. 

"And  He  said  unto  them,  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat 
this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer : 

"For  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof,  until  it 
be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

"And  He  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  said,  Take  this, 
and  divide  it  among  yourselves  : 

"For  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine, 
until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  come. 

"And  He  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  it,  and  gave 
unto  them,  saying.  This  is  My  body  which  is  given  for  you :  this 
do  in  remembrance  of  Me. 

"Likewise  also  the  cup  after  supper,  saying.  This  cup  ^'.y  the 
New  Testament  in  My  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you." 

That  doleful  night  before  His  death, 

The  Lamb,  for  sinners  slain, 
Did,  almost  with  His  dying  breath. 

This  solemn  feast  ordain. 

To  keep  the  feast,  Lord,  we  have  met,' 

And  to  remember  thee: 
Help  each  poor  trembler  to  repeat, 

"For  me  He  died,  for  me !" 

Thy  sufferings.  Lord,  each  sacred  sign 

To  our  remembrance  brings ; 
We  eat  the  bread,  and  drink  the  wine, 

But  think  on  nobler  things. 

O  tune  our  tongues,  and  set  in  frame 

Each  heart  that  pants  for  Thee, 
To   sing,   "Hosanna   to  the   Lamb, 

The  Lamb  that  died  for  me !" 

JOSEPH  HAKT. 


416  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Where  can  such  sweetness  be  found  as  we  have  tasted  in  com- 
munion with  our  Beloved?  In  our  esteem,  the  joys  of  earth  are 
little  better  than  husks  for  swine  compared  with  Jesus,  the  heaven- 
ly manna.  We  would  rather  have  one  mouthful  of  Christ's  love, 
and  a  sip  of  His  fellowship,  than  a  whole  world  full  of  carnal  de- 
lights. What  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat?  What  is  the  sparkling 
paste  to  the  true  diamond?  What  is  a  dream  to  the  glorious 
reality?  What  is  time's  mirth,  in  its  best  trim,  compared  to  our 
Lord  Jesus  in  His  most  despised  estate  ?  If  you  know  anything  of 
the  inner  life,  you  will  confess  that  our  highest,  purest,  and  most 
enduring  joys  must  be  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life  which  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  Paradise  of  God.  No  spring  yields  such  sweet  water 
as  that  well  of  God  which  was  digged  with  the  soldier's  spear.  All 
earthly  bliss  is  of  the  earth  earthy,  but  the  comforts  of  Christ's 
presence  are  like  Himself,  heavenly.  We  can  review  our  com- 
munion with  Jesus,  and  find  no  regrets  of  emptiness  therein ;  there 
are  no  dregs  in  this  wine,  no  dead  flies  in  this  ointment.  The  joy 
of  the  Lord  is  solid  and  enduring.  Vanity  hath  not  looked  upon 
it,  but  discretion  and  prudence  testify  that  it  abideth  the  test  of 
years,  and  is  in  time  and  in  eternity  worthy  to  be  called  "the  only 
true  delight."  For  nourishment,  consolation,  exhilaration,  and  re- 
freshment, no  wine  can  rival  the  love  of  Jesus.  Let  us  drink  to  the 
full  this  evening. 


APPROACHING  THE  TABLE. 


Jesus,  at  Whose  supreme  command, 
W^e  now  approach  to  God, 

Before  us  in  Thy  vesture  stand. 
Thy  vesture  dipp'd  in  blood. 

Now,   Savior,  now  Thyself  reveal, 
And  make  Thy  nature  known  ; 

Affix  Thy  blessed  Spirit's  seal, 
And  stamp  us  for  Thine  own. 

The  tokens  of  Thy  dying  love, 

O  let  us  all  receive. 
And  feel  the  quick'ning  Spirit  move. 

And  sensibly  believe. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  All 

The  cup  of  blessing,  blest  by  Thee, 

Let  it  Thy  blood  impart ; 
The  bread  Thy  mystic  body  be, 

To  cheer  each  languid  heart. 

The  living  bread  sent  down  from  heaven. 

In  us  vouchsafe  to  be : 
Thy  flesh  for  all  the  world  is  given, 

And  all  may  live  by  Thee. 

Numbers  of  Christians  can  view  the  past  with  pleasure,  but 
regard  the  present  with  dissatisfaction ;  they  look  back  upon  the 
days  which  they  have  passed  in  communing  with  the  Lord,  as 
being  the  sweetest  and  the  best  they  have  ever  known ;  but  as  to 
the  present,  it  is  clad  in  a  sable  garb  of  gloom  and  dreariness. 
Once  they  lived  near  to  Jesus,  but  now  they  feel  that  they  have 
wandered  from  Him,  and  they  say,  "O  that  I  were  as  in  months 
past !"  They  complain  that  they  have  lost  their  evidences,  or  that 
they  have  not  present  peace  of  mind,  or  that  they  have  no  enjoy- 
ment in  the  means  of  grace,  or  that  conscience  is  not  so  tender, 
or  that  they  have  not  so  much  zeal  for  God's  glory.  The  causes 
of  this  mournful  state  of  things  are  manifold.  It  may  arise 
through  a  comparative  neglect  of  prayer,  for  a  neglected  closet  is 
the  beginning  of  all  spiritual  decline.  Or  it  may  be  the  result  of 
idolatry.  The  heart  has  been  occupied  with  something  else,  more 
than  with  God ;  the  affections  have  been  set  on  the  things  of  earth, 
instead  of  the  things  of  heaven.  A  jealous  God  will  not  be  content 
with  a  divided  heart;  He  must  be  loved  first  and  best.  He  will 
withdraw  the  sunshine  of  His  presence  from  a  cold,  wandering 
heart.  Or  the  cause  may  be  found  in  self-confidence  and  self- 
righteousness.  Pride  is  busy  in  the  heart,  and  self  is  exalted  in- 
stead of  lying  low  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  Christian,  if  you  are  not 
now  as  you  "were  in  months  past,"  do  not  rest  satisfied  with 
wishing  for  a  return  of  former  happiness,  but  go  at  once  to  seek 
your  Maker,  and  tell  Him  your  sad  state.  Ask  His  grace  <\nd 
strength  to  help  you  to  walk  more  closely  with  Him ;  humble  your- 
self before  Him,  and  He  will  lift  you  up,  and  give  you  yet  again 
to  enjoy  the  light  of  His  countenance.  Do  not  sit  down  to  sigh 
and  lament ;  while  the  beloved  Physician  lives  there  is  hope ;  nay, 
there  is  a  certainty  of  recovery  for  the  worst  cases. 


418  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.— JUDAS  DIPPING  HIS  HAND  IN 

THE  DISH. 

(mark  14:17-20.) 

**And  in  the  evening  He  cometh  with  the  twelve. 

"And  as  they  sat  and  did  eat,  Jesus  said,  Verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
one  of  you  which  eateth  with  Me  shall  betray  Me. 

''And  they  began  to  be  sorrowful,  and  to  say  unto  Him,  one  by 
one.  Is  it  1?  and  another  said,  Is  it  I  ? 

"And  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  //  is  one  of  the  twelve 
that  dippeth  with  Me  in  the  dish." 

The  King  of  heaven  His  table  spreads. 

And  blessings  crown  the  board; 
Not  Paradise,  with  all  its  joys, 

Could  such  delight  afford. 

Pardon  and  peace  to  dying  men, 

And  endless  life  are  given. 
Through  the  rich  blood  that  Jesus  shed, 

To  raise  our  souls  to  heaven. 

Millions  of  souls,  in  glory  now. 

Were  fed  and  feasted  here ; 
And  millions  more,  still  on  the  way. 

Around  the  board  appear. 

All  things  are  ready,  come  away, 

Nor  weak  excuses  frame, 
Crowd  to  your  places  at  the  feast, 

And  bless  the  Founder's  name. 

When  we  give  our  hearts  with  our  alms,  we  give  well,  but 
we  must  often  plead  to  a  failure  in  this  respect.  Not  so  our  Master 
and  our  Lord.  His  favors  are  always  performed  with  the  love  of 
His  heart.  He  does  not  send  to  us  the  cold  meat  and  the  broken 
pieces  from  the  table  of  His  luxury,  but  He  dips  our  morsel  in  His 
own  dish,  and  seasons  our  provisions  with  the  spices  of  His  fra- 
grant affections.     When  He  puts  the  golden  tokens  of  His  grace 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  419 

into  our  palms,  He  accompanies  the  gift  with  such  a  warm  pres- 
sure' of  our  hand,  that  the  manner  of  His  giving  is  as  precious  as 
the  boon  itself.  He  will  come  into  our  houses  upon  His  errands  of 
kindness,  and  He  will  not  act  as  some  austere  visitors  do  in  the 
poor  man's  cottage,  but  He  sits  by  our  side,  not  despising  our  pov- 
erty, nor  blaming  our  weakness.  Beloved,  with  what  smiles  does 
He  speak !  What  golden  sentences  drop  from  His  gracious  lips ! 
What  embraces  of  affection  does  He  bestow  upon  us !  If  He  had 
but  given  us  farthings,  the  way  of  His  giving  would  have  gilded 
them ;  but  as  it  is,  the  costly  alms  are  set  in  a  golden  basket  by  His 
pleasant  carriage.  It  is  impossible  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  His 
charity,  for  there  is  a  bleeding  heart  stamped  upon  the  face  of  all 
His  benefactions.  He  giveth  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not.  Not 
one  hint  that  we  are  burdensome  to 'Him;  not  one  cold  look  for 
His  poor  pensioners;  but  He  rejoices  in  His  mercy,  and  presses 
us  to  His  bosom  while  He  is  pouring  out  His  life  for  us.  There 
is  a  fragrance  in  His  spikenard  which  nothing  but  His  heart  could 
produce;  there  is  a  sweetness  in  His  honeycomb  which  could  not 
be  in  it  unless  the  very  essence  of  His  soul's  affection  had  been 
mingled  with  it.  Oh !  the  rare  communion  which  such  singular 
heartiness  effecteth !  May  we  continually  taste  and  know  the 
blessedness  of  it ! 


i 


i 


'MY  SOUL  IS  EXCEEDING  SORROWFUL  UNTO  DEATH. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  423 

MY  SOUL  IS  EXCEEDING  SORROWFUL  UNTO  DEATH. 
(mark  14:32-35.) 

''And  they  came  to  a  place  which  was  named  Gethsemane :  and 
He  saith  to  His  disciples,  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  shall  pray. 

"And  He  taketh  with  Him  Peter,  James,  and  John,  and  began 
to  be  sore  amazed,  and  to  be  very  heavy ; 

''And  saith  unto  them.  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful  unto 
death :  tarry  ye  here,  and  watch. 

"And  He  went  forward  a  little,  and  fell  on  the  ground,  and 
prayed  that,  if  it  were  possible,  the  hour  might  pass  from  Him." 

Few  had  fellowship  with  the  sorrows  of  Gethsemane.  The 
majority  of  the  disciples  were  not  sufficiently  advanced  in  grace  to 
be  admitted  to  behold  the  mysteries  of  "the  agony."  Occupied 
with  the  passover  feast  at  their  own  houses,  they  represent  the 
many  who  live  upon  the  letter,  but  are*  mere  babes  as  to  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel.  To  twelve,  nay,  to  eleven  only,  was  the  privilege 
given  to  enter  Gethsemane  and  see  "this  great  sight."  Out  of  the 
eleven,  eight  were  left  at  a  distance ;  they  had  fellowship,  but  not  of 
that  intimate  sort  to  which  men  greatly  beloved  are  admitted. 
Only  three  highly  favored  ones  could  approach  the  veil  of  our 
Lord's  mysterious  sorrow ;  within  that  veil  even  these  must  not  in- 
trude ;  a  stone's  cast  distance  must  be  left  between.  He  must  tread 
the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there  must  be  none  with 
Him.  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee  represent  the  few  eminent, 
experienced  saints,  who  may  be  written  down  as  "Fathers" ;  these 
having  done  business  on  great  waters,  can  in  some  degree  measure 
the  huge  Atlantic  waves  of  their  Redeemer's  passion.  To  some 
selected  spirits  it  is  given,  for  the  good  of  others,  and  to  strengthen 
them  for  the  future,  special  and  tremendous  conflict,  to  enter  the 
inner  circle  and  hear  the  pleadings  of  the  suffering  High  Priest; 
they  have  fellowship  with  Him  in  His  sufferings,  and  are  made 
conformable  unto  His  death.  Yet  even  these  cannot  penetrate  the 
secret  places  of  the  Savior's  woe.  "Thine  unknown  sufferings," 
is  the  remarkable  expression  of  the  Greek  liturgy:  there  was  an 
inner  chamber  in  our  Master's  grief,  shut  out  from  human 
knowledge  and  fellowship.  There  Jesus  is  ''left  alone/'  Here 
Jesus  was  more  than  ever  an  "unspeakable  gift."  Is  not  Watts 
right  when  he  sings : 

"And  all  the  unknown  joys  He  gives 

Were  bought  with  agonies  unknown"? 


424  DIVINE      HEALING. 

Jesus  is  alone.  His  three  disciples  are  asleep.  The  solemn 
night  air,  the  silent  heavens,  in  awe,  witness  the  agonized  prayer  oi 
His  heart-broken  spirit.  The  last  supper  has  just  been  concluded. 
No  more  He  mingles  with  His  fellow-men,  in  market,  in  thorough- 
fare or  at  board.  He  prays  the  prayer  that  seals  the  consummation 
of  His  work — the  redemption  of  His  race,  ''Not  My  will,  but  Thine 
be  done."  This  design  is  one  of  the  most  affecting  and  beautiful 
of  the  Bible  series.  Every  detail  is  wrought  out  with  unusual 
care  and  precision ;  the  landscape  is  rich  and  full,  with  mighty  up- 
springing  trees  and  gracefully  sweeping  branches,  yielding  turf 
and  tufted  masses  of  flowering  plants ;  the  sky  is  warm  and  tender, 
and  an  evening  softness  is  in  the  air.  The  artist  has  been  deeply 
moved  by  the  incident,  and  as  we  gaze  upon  the  rapt  and  holy 
countenance  of  Christ,  upturned  in  prayer,  with  the  disciples 
sleeping  for  sorrow,  all  the  sadness  and  solemnity  of  the  scene  are 
revealed  to  us. 


THE  AGONY  IN   THE  GARDEN. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  427 

THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN. 
(LUKE  22:41-44.) 

"And  He  was  withdrawn  from  them  about  a  stone's  cast,  and 
kneeled  down,  and  prayed, 

"Saying,  Father,  if  Thou  be  wilHng,  remove  this  cup  from 
Me:  nevertheless,  not  My  will,  but  Thine,  be  done. 

"And  there  appeared  an  angel  unto  Him  from  heaven,  strength- 
ening Him. 

"And  being  in  an  agony.  He  prayed  more  earnestly :  and  His 
sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the 
ground." 

Did  Christ  o'er  sinners  weep, 

And  shall  our  cheeks  be  dry? 
Let  floods  of  penitential  grief 

Burst  forth  from  every  eye. 

The  Son  of  God  in  tears 

Angels  with  wonder  see : 
Be  thou  astonished,  O  my  soul. 

He  shed  those  tears  for  thee. 

He  wept  that  we  might  weep; 

Each  sin  demands  a  tear; 
In  heaven  alone  no  sin  is  found, 

And  there's  no  weeping  there. 

The  mental  pressure  arising  from  our  Lord's  struggle  with 
temptation  so  forced  His  frame  to  an  unnatural  excitement  that 
His  pores  sent  forth  great  drops  of  blood  which  fell  down  to 
the  ground.  This  proves  hozv  tremendous  must  have  been  the 
weight  of  sin  when  it  was  able  to  crush  the  Savior  so  that  He 
distilled  great  drops  of  blood !  This  demonstrates  the  mighty 
power  of  His  love.  It  is  a  very  pretty  observation  of  old  Isaac 
Ambrose  that  the  gum  which  exudes  from  the  tree  without  cutting 
is  always  the  best.  This  precious  camphor-tree  yielded  most  sweet 
spices  when  it  was  wounded  under  the  knotty  whips  and  when  it 
was  pierced  by  the  nails  on  the  cross ;  but  see,  it  giveth  forth  its 
best  spice  when  there  is  no  whip,  no  nail;'  no  wound.    This  sets 


428  DIVINE      HEALING. 

forth  the  voluntariness  of  Christ's  sufferings,  since  without  a  lance 
the  blood  flowed  freely.  No  need  to  put  on  the  leech  or  apply  the 
knife;  it  flows  spontaneously.  No  need  for  the  rulers  to  cry, 
"Spring  up,  O  well" ;  of  itself  it  flows  in  crimson  torrents.  If  men 
suffer  great  pain  of  mind  apparently  the  blood  rushes  to  the  heart. 
The  cheeks  are  pale ;  a  fainting  fit  corries  on ;  the  blood  has  gone 
inward,  as  if  to  nourish  the  inner  man  while  passing  through  its 
trial.  But  see  our  Savior  in  His  agony ;  He  is  so  utterly  oblivious 
to  self,  that  instead  of  His  agony  driving  His  blood  to  the  heart 
to  nourish  Himself,  it  drives  it  outward  to  bedew  the  earth.  The 
agony  of  Christ,  inasmuch  as  it  pours  Him  out  upon  the  ground, 
pictures  the  fulness  of  the  offering  which  He  made  for  men. 

Do  we  not  perceive  how  intense  must  have  been  the  wrestling 
through  which  He  passed,  and  will  we  not  hear  its  voice  to  usr 
"Ye  have  not  yet  resisted  unto  blood,  striving  against  sin."  Behold 
the  great  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  and  sweat 
even  to  blood  rather  than  yield  to  the  great  tempter  of  your 
souls. 


"BETRAVEST   THOU   THE   SON   OF   MAN   WITH   A   KISS? 


UNiVilKSITY 


ot 


o.LiFO^:^ 


MIN  D     AND     FAITH     CURE .  '      431 


BETRAYEST  THOU  THE  SON  OF  MAN  WITH  A  KISS  ? 

(LUKE  32:48.) 

The  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  deceitful.  Let  me  be  on  my  guard 
when  the  world  puts  on  a  loving  face,  for  it  will,  if  possible,  betray 
me,  as  it  did  my  Master,  with  a  kiss.  Whenever  a  man  is  about  to 
stab  religion,  he  usually  professes  very  great  reverence  for  it.  Let 
me  beware  of  the  sleek-faced  hypocrisy  which  is  armor-bearer  to 
heresy  and  infidelity.  Knowing  the  deceivableness  of  unrighteous- 
ness, let  me  be  wise  as  a  serpent  to  detect  and  avoid  the  designs  of 
the  enemy.  The  young  man,  void  of  understanding,  was  led  astray 
by  the  kiss  of  a  strange  woman :  may  my  soul  be  so  graciously  in- 
structed all  this  day,  that  ''the  much  fair  speech"  of  the  world  may 
have  no  effect  upon  me !  Holy  Spirit,  let  me  not,  a  poor,  frail  son 
of  man,  be  betrayed  with  a  kiss ! 

But  what  if  I  should  be  guilty  of  the  same  accursed  sin  as 
Judas,  that  son  of  perdition  ?  I  have  been  baptized  into  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  I  am  a  member  of  His  visible  church ;  I  sit 
at  the  communion  table:  all  these  are  so  many  kisses  of  my  lips. 
Am  I  sincere  in  them  ?  Jf  not,  I  am  a  base  traitor.  Do  I  live  m 
the  world  as  carelessly  as  others  do,  and  yet  make  a  profession  of 
being  a  follower  of  Jesus?  Then  I  must  expose  religion  to 
ridicule,  and  lead  men  to  speak  evil  of  the  holy  name  by  which  I 
am  called.  Surely  if  I  act  thus  inconsistently,  I  am  a  Judas,  and 
it  were  better  for  me  that  I  had  never  been  born.  Dare  I  hope  that 
I  am  clear  in  this  matter?  Then,  O  Lord,  keep  me  so.  O  Lord 
make  me  sincere  and  true.  Preserve  me  from  every  false  way. 
Never  let  me  betray  my  Savior.  I  do  love  Thee,  Jesus,  and  though 
I  often  grieve  Thee,  yet  I  would  desire  to  abide  faithful  even  unto 
death.  O  God,  forbid  that  I  should  be  a  high-soaring  professor, 
and  then  fall  at  last  into  the  lake  of  fire,  because  I  betrayed  my 
Master  with  a  kiss. 


JESUS  SAID  UNTO  THEM,  IF  YE  SEEK  ME,  LET  THESE 

GO  THEIR  WAY. 

(JOHN  18:8.) 

Mark,  dear  reader,  the  care  which  Jesus  manifested,  even  in 
His  hour  of  trial,  towards  the  sheep  of  His  hand  !    The  ruling  pas- 


432  DIVINE     HEALING. 

sion  is  strong  in  death.  He  resigns  Himself  to  the  enemy,  but  He 
interposes  a  word  of  power  to  set  His  disciples  free.  As  to  Him- 
self, like  a  sheep  before  her  shearers,  He  is  dumb,  and  openeth  not 
His  mouth,  but  for  His  disciples'  sake  He  speaks  with  Almighty 
energy.  Herein  is  love,  constant,  self-forgetting,  faithful  love. 
But  is  there  not  far  more  here  than  is  to  be  found  upon  the  surface  : 
Have  we  not  the  very  soul  and  spirit  of  the  atonement  in  these 
words?  The  Good  Shepherd  lays  down  His  life  for  the  sheep, 
and  pleads  that  they  must  therefore  go  free.  The  Surety  is  bound, 
and  justice  demands  that  those  for  whom  He  stands  a  substitute 
should  go  their  way.  In  the  midst  of  Egypt's  bondage,  that  voice 
rings  as  a  word  of  power,  ''Let  these  go  their  way."  Out  of  the 
slavery  of  sin  and  Satan  the  redeemed  must  come.  In  every  cell 
of  the  dungeons  of  Despair,  the  sound  is  echoed,  ''Let  these  go 
their  way^'  and  forth  come  Despondency  and  Much-Afraid.  Satan 
hears  the  well-known  voice,  and  lifts  his  foot  from  the  neck  of  the 
fallen ;  and  Death  hears  it,  and  the  grave  opens  her  gates  to  let  the 
dead  arise.  Their  way  is  one  of  progress,  holiness,  triumph,  glory, 
and  none  shall  dare  to  stay  them  in  it.  No  lion  shall  be  on  their 
way,  neither  shall  any  ravenous  beast  go  up  thereon.  ''The  hind  of 
the  morning"  has  drawn  the  cruel  hunters  upon  himself,  and  now 
the  most  timid  roes  and  hinds  of  the  field  may  gaze  at  perfect  peace 
among  the  lilies  of  his  loves.  The  thunder-cloud  has  burst  over 
the  cross  of  Calvary,  and  the  pilgrims  of  Zion  shall  never  be 
smitten  by  the  bolts  of  vengeance.  Come,  my  heart,  rejoice  in  the 
immunity  which  thy  Redeemer  has  secured  thee,  and  bless  His 
name  all  the  day,  and  every  day. 


THEN  ALL  THE  DISCIPLES  FORSOOK  HIM  AND  FLED. 

(matt.  26  :5G.) 

He  never  deserted  them,  but  they,  in  cowardly  fear  of  their 
lives,  fled  from  Him  in  the  very  beginning  of  His  sufferings.  This 
is  but  one  instructive  instance  of  the  frailty  of  all  believers  if  left 
to  themselves ;  they  are  but  sheep  at  the  best,  and  they  flee  when 
the  wolf  cometh.  They  had  all  been  warned  of  the  danger,  and 
had  promised  to  die  rather  than  leave  their  Master ;  and  yet  they 
were  seized  with  sudden  panic,  and  took  to  their  heels.  It  may 
be  that  I,  at  the  opening  of  this  day,  have  braced  up  my  mind 
to  bear  a  trial  for  the  Lord's  sake,  and  I  imagine  myself  to  be 


M  I  N  L)     A  N  D     FAITH     CV  R  E  .  433 

certain  to  exhibit  perfect  fidelity;  but  let  me  be  very  jealous  of 
myself,  lest,  having  the  same  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  I  should  depart 
from  my  Lord  as  the  apostles  did.  It  is  one  thing  to  promise, 
and  quite  another  to  perform.  It  would  have  been  to  their  eternal 
honor  to  have  stood  at  Jesus'  side  right  manfully :  they  fled  from 
honor ;  may  I  be  kept  from  imitating  them  !  Where  else  could  they 
have  been  so  safe  as  near  their  Master,  who  could  presently  call 
for  twelve  legions  of  angels?  They  fled  from  their  true  safety. 
O  God,  let  me  not  play  the  fool  also.  Divine  grace  can  make  the 
coward  brave.  The  smoking  flax  can  flame  forth  like  fire  on  the 
altar  when  the  Lord  wills  it.  These  very  apostles,  who  were  timid 
as  hares,  grew  to  be  bold  as  lions  after  the  Spirit  had  descended 
upon  them,  and  even  so  the  Holy  Spirit  can  make  my  recreant 
spirit  brave  to  confess  my  Lord,  and  witness  for  His  truth. 

What  anguish  must  have  filled  the  Savior  as  He  saw  His 
friends  so  faithless !  This  was  one  bitter  ingredient  in  His  cup ; 
but  that  cup  is  drained  dry ;  let  me  not  put  another  drop  in  it.  If  I 
forsake  my  Lord,  I  shall  crucify  Him  afresh,  and  put  Him  to  an 
open  shame.    Keep  me,  O  blessed  Spirit,  from  an  end  so  shameful ! 


HIM  HATH  GOD  EXALTED. 
(acts  5  :ol.) 

''Him  hath  God  exalted  with  His  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and 
a  Savior,  for  to  give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of 
sins." 

Jesus,  our  Lord,  once  crucified,  dead  and  buried,  now  sits  upon 
the  throne  of  glory.  The  highest  place  that  heaven  affords  is  His 
by  undisputed  right.  It  is  sweet  to  remember  that  the  exaltation 
of  Christ  in  heaven  is  a  representative  exaltation.  He  is  exalted 
at  the  Father's  right  hand,  and  though  as  Jehovah  He  has  eminent 
glories,  in  which  finite  creatures  cannot  share,  yet  as  the  Mediator, 
the  honors  which  Jesus  wears  in  heaven  are  the  heritage  of  all 
the  saints.  It  is  delightful  to  reflect  how  close  is  Christ's  union 
with  His  people.  We  are  actually  one  with  Him  ;  we  are  members 
of  His  body ;  and  His  exaltation  is  our  exaltation.  He  will  give  us 
to  sit  upon  His  throne,  even  as  He  has  overcome,  and  is  set  down 
with  His  Father  on  His  throne :  He  has  a  crown,  and  He  gives  us 
crowns,  too :  He  has  a  throne,  but  He  is  not  content  with  having 


434  DIVINE      HEALING. 

a  throne  to  Himself ;  on  His  right  hand  there  must  be  His  queen, 
arrayed  in  "gold  of  Ophir."  He  cannot  be  glorified  without  His 
bride.  Look  up,  believer,  to  Jesus  now ;  let  the  eye  of  your  faith 
behold  Him  with  many  crowns  upon  His  head ;  and  remember  that 
you  will  one  day  be  like  Him,  when  you  shall  see  Him  as  He  is ; 
you  shall  not  be  so  great  as  He  is,  you  shall  not  be  so  divine, 
but  still  you  shall,  in  a  measure,  share  the  same  honors,  and 
enjoy  the  same  happiness  and  the  same  dignity  which  He  pos- 
sesses. Be  content  to  live  unknown  for  a  little  while,  and  to  walk 
your  weary  way  through  the  fields  of  poverty,  or  up  the  hills 
of  affliction  ;  for  by  and  by  you  shall  reign  with  Christ,  for  He  has 
"made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God,  and  we  shall  reign  forever 
and  ever."  Oh!  wonderful  thought  for  the  children  of  God! 
We  have  Christ  for  our  glorious  representative  in  heaven's  courts 
now,  and  soon  He  will  come  and  receive  us  to  Himself,  to  be 
with  Him  there,  to  behold  His  glory,  and  to  share  in  His  joy. 


B5 

^1^ '^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

^^^^^^^^^■■|^|te|^^^l  l^jMH 

PETER'S    DENIAL. 


MIND     AN  D     FAIT  H     CURE.  437 

PETER'S  DENIAL. 

(matt.  26:31-35.) 

"Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because 
of  Me  this  night :  for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd,  and 
the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad. 

''But  after  I  am  risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee. 

"Peter  answered  and  said  unto  Him,  Though  all  men  shall  be 
offended  because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended. 

"Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  That  this  night, 
before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice. 

"Peter  said  unto  Him,  Though  I  should  die  with  Thee,  yet  will 
I  not  deny  Thee.    Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples." 

It  has  been  thought  by  some,  that,  as  long  as  Peter  lived,  the 
fountain  of  his  tears  began  to  flow  whenever  he  remembered  his 
denying  his  Lord.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  it  was  so,  for  his  sin  was 
very  great,  and  grace  in  him  had  afterwards  a  perfect  work.  This 
same  experience  is  common  to  all  the  redeemed  family  according 
to  the  degree  in  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  removed  the  natural 
heart  of  stone.  We,  like  Peter,  remember  our  boastful  promise : 
"Though  all  men  shall  forsake  Thee,  yet  will  not  I."  We  eat  our 
own  words  with  the  bitter  herbs  of  repentance.  When  we  think  of 
what  we  vowed  we  would  be,  and  of  what  we  have  been,  we  may 
weep  whole  showers  of  grief.  He  thought  on  his  denying  his  Lord, 
the  place  in  which  he  did  it,  the  little  cause  which  led  him  into  such 
heinous  sin,  the  oaths  and  blasphemies  with  which  he  sought  to 
confirm  his  falsehood,  and  the  dreadful  hardness  of  heart  which 
drove  him  to  do  so  again  and  yet  again.  Can  we,  when  we  are 
reminded  of  our  sins  and  their  exceeding  sinfulness,  remain  stolid 
and  stubborn?  Will  we  not  make  our  house  a  Bochim,  and  cry 
unto  the  Lord  for  renewed  assurances  of  pardoning  love?  May 
we  never  take  a  dry-eyed  look  at  sin,  lest  ere  long  we  have  a  tongue 
parched  in  the  flames  of  hell.  Peter  also  thought  upon  his  Master's 
look  of  love.  The  Lord  followed  up  the  cock's  warning  voice  with 
an  admonitory  look  of  sorrow,  pity,  and  love.  That  glance  was 
never  out  of  Peter's  mind  so  long  as  he  lived.  It  was  far  more 
effectual  than  ten  thousand  sermons  would  have  been  without  the 
Spirit.  The  penitent  apostle  would  be  sure  to  weep  when  he 
recollected  the  Saviors  full  forgiveness,  which  restored  him  to 
his  former  place.     To  think  that  we  have  offended  so  kind  and 


438  DIVINE     HEALING. 

good  a  Lord  is  more  than  sufficient  reason  for  being  constant 

weepers.     Lord,  smite  our  rocky  hearts,  and  make  the  waters 
flow. 


I  HAVE  PRAYED  FOR  THEE. 
(LUKE  22:31,  32.) 

"And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold,  Satan  hath  desired 
to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  yoii  as  wheat : 

*'But  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not :  and  when 
thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy  brethren." 

How  encouraging  is  the  thought  of  the  Redeemer's  never- 
ceasing  intercession  for  us.  When  we  pray,  He  pleads  for  us; 
and  when  we  are  not  praying,  He  is  advocating  our  cause,  and  by 
His  supplications  shielding  us  from  unseen  dangers.  Notice  the 
word  of  comfort  addressed  to  Peter — "Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath 
desired  to  have  you  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat ;  but" — what  ? 
"But  go  and  pray  for  yourself?"  That  would  be  good  advice,  but 
it  is  not  so  written.  Neither  does  He  say,  "But  I  will  keep  you 
watchful,  and  so  you  shall  be  preserved."  That  were  a  great  bless- 
ing. No,  it  is,  "But  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not." 
We  little  know  what  we  owe  to  our  Savior's  prayers.  When  we 
reach  the  hill-tops  of  heaven,  and  look  back  upon  all  the  way 
whereby  the  Lord  our  God  hath  led  us,  how  we  shall  praise  Him 
who,  before  the  eternal  throne  undid  the  mischief  which  Satan  was 
doing  upon  earth. 

CHRIST  BUFFETED  AND  MOCKED  IN  THE  HOUSE 
OF  CAIAPHAS. 

(matt.  26:67,  68.) 

"Then  did  they  spit  in  His  face,  and  buffeted  Him ;  and  others 
smote  Him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands. 

"Saying,  Prophesy  unto  us,  thou  Christ,  Who  is  he  that  smote 
thee?" 

He  had  t>een  all  night  in  agony.  He  had  spent  the  early  morn- 
ing at  the  hall  of  Caiaphas.  He  had  been  hurried  from  Caiaphas 
to  Pilate,fnom  Pilate  to  Herod  and  from  Herod  back  again  to  Pilate. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  439 

He  had,  therefore,  but  little  strength  left,  and  yet  neither  refresh- 
ment nor  rest  was  permitted  Him.  They  were  eager  for  His  blood, 
and  therefore  led  Him  out  to  die,  loaded  with  the  cross.  O 
dolorous  procession !  Well  may  Salem's  daughters  weep.  Dear 
reader,  do  thou  weep  also. 

What  learn  we  here  as  we  see  our  blessed  Lord  led  forth  ?  Do 
we  not  perceive  that  truth  which  was  set  forth  in  shadow  by  the 
scape  goat  f  Did  not  the  high-priest  bring  the  scapegoat, 
and  put  both  his  hands  upon  its  head,  confessing  the 
sins  of  the  people,  that  thus  those  sins  might  be  laid  upon  the  goat, 
and  cease  from  the  people  ?  Then  the  goat  was  led  away  by  a  fit 
man  into  the  wilderness,  and  it  carried  away  the  sins  of  the 
people ;  so  that,  if  they  were  sought  for,  they  could  not  be  found. 
Now  we  see  Jesus  brought  before  the*  priests  and  rulers,  who  pro- 
nounce Him  guilty.  God  Himself  imputes  our  sins  to  Him ;  ''the 
Lord  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all" ;  "He  was  made 
sin  for  us"  ;  and,  as  the  substitute  for  our  guilt,  bearing  our  sin 
upon  His  shoulders,  represented  by  the  cross,  we  see  the  great 
Scapegoat  led  away  by  the  appointed  officers  of  justice.  Be- 
loved, can  you  feel  assured  that  He  carried  your  sin?  As  you  look 
at  the  cross  upon  His  shoulders,  does  it  represent  your  sin  ? 


I  AM  CRUCIFIED  WITH  CHRIST. 

(gal.   2:20.) 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  acted  in  what  He  did  as  a  great  public 
representative  person,  and  His  dying  upon  the  cross  was  the  virtual 
dying  of  all  His  people.  Then  all  His  saints  rendered  unto  justice 
what  was  due,  and  made  an  expiation  to  divine  vengeance  for  all 
their  sins.  The  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  delighted  to  think  that  as 
one  of  Christ's  chosen  people,  he  died  upon  the  cross  in  Christ.  He 
did  more  than  believe  this  doctrinally,  he  accepted  it  confidently, 
resting  his  hope  upon  it.  He  believed  that  by  virtue  of  Christ's 
death,  he  had  satisfied  divine  justice,  and  found  reconciliation 
with  God.  Beloved,  what  a  blessed  thing  it  is  when  the  soul  can, 
as  it  were,  stretch  itself  upon  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  feel,  'T  am 
dead  ;  the  law  has  slain  me,  and  I  am  therefore  free  from  its  power, 
because  in  my  Surety  I  have  borne  the  curse,  and  in  the  person  of 
my  Substitute  the  whole  that  the  law  could  do,  by  way  of  con- 


440  DIVINE      HEALING. 

demnation,  has  been  executed  upon  me,  for  I  am  crucified  with 
Christ." 

But  Paul  meant  even  more  than  this.  He  not  only  believed  in 
Christ's  death,  and  trusted  in  it,  but  he  actually  felt  its  power  in 
himself  in  causing  the  crucifixion  of  his  old  corrupt  nature. 
When  he  saw  the  pleasures  of  sin,  he  said,  "I  cannot  enjoy  these :  I 
am  dead  to  them."  Such  is  the  experience  of  every  true  Chris- 
tian. Having  received  Christ,  he  is  to  this  world  as  one  who  is 
utterly  dead.  Yet,  while  conscious  of  death  to  the  world,  he  can, 
at  the  same  time,  exclaim  with  the  apostle,  "Nevertheless,  I  live." 
He  is  fully  alive  to  God.  The  Christian's  life  is  a  matchless  riddle. 
No  worldling  can  comprehend  it ;  even  the  believer  himself  cannot 
understand  it.  Dead,  yet  alive !  crucified  with  Christ,  and  yet  at 
the  same  time  risen  with  Christ  in  newness  of  life !  Union  with 
the  suffering,  bleeding  Savior,  and  death  to  the  world  and  sin, 
are  soul-cheering  things.    Oh  for  more  enjoyment  of  them  ! 


CHRIST   IS   SCOURGED. 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  443 

CHRIST  IS  SCOURGED. 
(JOHN  19:1-3.) 

'Then  Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus   and  scourged  Him. 

"And  the  soldiers  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  on  His 
head,  and  they  put  on  Him  a  purple  robe, 

*'And  said.  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews !  and  they  smote  Him  with 
their  hands." 

Pilate  delivered  our  Lord  to  the  lictors  to  be  scourged.  The 
Roman  scourge  was  a  most  dreadful  instrument  of  torture.  It 
was  made  of  the  sinews  of  oxen,  and  sharp  bones  were  intertwisted 
every  here  and  there  among  the  sinews ;  so  that  every  time  the 
lash  came  down  these  pieces  of  bone  inflicted  fearful  laceration, 
and  tore  off  the  flesh  from  the  bone.  The  Savior  was,  no  doubt, 
bound  to  the  column,  and  thus  beaten.  He  had  been  beaten  be- 
fore ;  but  this  of  the  Roman  lictors  was  probably  the  most  severe 
of  His  flagellations.  Dear  friends,  stand  here  and  weep  over  His 
poor  stricken  body.  Believer  in  Jesus,  can  you  gaze  upon  Him 
without  tears,  as  He  stands  before  you  in  the  mirror  of  agonizing 
love?  He  is  at  once  fair  as  the  lily  for  innocence,  and  red  as  the 
rose  with  the  crimson  of  His  own  blood.  As  we  feel  the  sure  and 
blessed  healing  which  His  stripes  have  wrought  in  us,  does  not 
our  heart  melt  at  once  with  love  and  grief  ?  If  ever  we  have  loved 
our  Lord  Jesus,  surely  we  must  feel  that  affection  glowing  now 
within  our  bosoms. 

See  how  the  patient  Jesus  stands, 

Insulted  in  His  lowest  case ! 
Sinners  have  bound  the  Almighty's  hands. 

And  spit  in  their  Creator's  face. 

With  thorns  His  temples  gored  and  gashed 
Send  streams  of  blood  from  every  part ; 

His  back  with  knotted  scourges  lashed, 

But  sharper  scourges  tear  His  heart. 


444  DIVINE      HEALING. 


THE  SINNER  AWAKENED. 

The  sinner  awakened  by  the  Holy  Spirit  will  find  the  source 
of  his  stream  of  sorrow  not  on  the  thorn-clad  sides  of  Sinai,  but 
on  the  grassy  mound  of  Calvary.  His  cry  will  be,  "O  sin,  I 
hate  thee,  for  thou  didst  murder  my  Lord"  ;  and  his  mournful  dirge 
over  his  crucified  Redeemer  will  be  in  plaintive  words : 

'Twas  you,  my  sins,  my  cruel  sins, 

His  chief  tormentors  were  ; 
Each  of  my  crimes  became  a  nail, 

And  unbelief  the  spear. 

'Twas  you  that  pull'd  the  vengeance  down 

Upon  His  guiltless  head  ; 
Break,  break,  my  heart,  oh  burst,  mine  eyes, 

And  let  my  sorrows  bleed. 

Do  believe  it,  Christian,  that  thy  sin  is  a  condemned  thing.  It 
may  kick  and  struggle,  but  it  is  doomed  to  die.  God  has  written 
condemnation  across  its  brow ;  Christ  has  crucified  it ;  nailing  it  to 
His  cross.  Go  now  and  mortify  it,  and  the  Lord  help  you  to  live 
to  His  praise.    Sin,  with  all  its  guilt,  shame  and  fear,  is  gone. 

Here's  pardon  for  transgressions  past, 
It  matters  not  how  black  their  cast, 
And,  O  my  soul,  with  wonder  view 
For  sins  to  come  here's  pardon,  too. 


M 

Mil^BjHHK, 

►  •• 

1      ^^  A«-«  -  - 

b  "^-J^l 

r 

L 

f 

1 

^ 

^^^^^^^^^^^^BBH^B 

1           i 

'PUT   UPON   HIS    HEAD   A   CROWN   OF   THORNS. 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  447 

PUT  UPON  HIS  HEAD  A  CROWN  OF  THORNS. 
(matt.  27:26-31.) 

"Then  released  he  Barabbas  unto  them :  and  when  he  had 
scourged  Jesus,  he  deUvered  Him  to  be  crucified. 

"Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  common 
hall,  and  gathered  unto  him  the  whole  band  of  soldiers. 

"And  they  stripped  Him,  and  put  on  Him  a  scarlet  robe. 

"And  when  they  had  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  they  put  it 
upon  His  head,  and  a  reed  in  His  right  hand :  and  they  bowed  the 
knee  before  Him,  and  mocked  Him,  saying,  Hail,  King  of  the 
Jews ! 

"And  they  spit  upon  Him,  and  took  the  reed,  and  smote  Him 
on  the  head. 

"And  after  that  they  had  mocked  Him,  they  took  the  robe 
ofif  from  Him,  and  put  His  own  raiment  on  Him,  and  led  Him 
away  to  crucify  Him." 

Mockery  was  a  great  ingredient  in  our  Lord's  woe.  Judas 
mocked  Him  in  the  garden ;  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  laughed 
Him  to  scorn  ;  Herod  set  Him  at  naught ;  the  servants  and  soldiers 
jeered  at  Him,  and  brutally  insulted  Him;  Pilate  and  his  guards 
ridiculed  His  royalty;  and  on  the  tree  all  sorts  of  horrid  jests  and 
hideous  taunts  were  hurled  at  Him.  Ridicule  is  always  hard  to 
bear ;  but  when  we  are  in  intense  pain  it  is  so  heartless,  so  cruel, 
that  it  cuts  us  to  the  quick.  Imagine  the  Savior  crucified,  racked 
with  anguish  far  beyond  all  mortal  guess,  and  then  picture  that 
motley  multitude,  all  wagging  their  heads  or  thrusting  out  the  lip 
in  bitterest  contempt  of  one  poor  suffering  victim !  Surely  there 
must  have  been  something  more  in  the  crucified  One  than  they 
could  see,  or  else  such  a  great  and  mingled  crowd  would  not 
unanimously  have  honored  Him  with  such  contempt.  Was  it  not 
evil  confessing,  in  the  very  moment  of  its  greatest  apparent 
triumph,  that  after  all  it  could  do  no  more  than  mock  at  that 
victorious  goodness  which  was  then  reigning  on  the  cross  ^ 
O  Jesus,  "despised  and  rejected  of  men,"  how  couldst  Thou  die 
for  men  who  treated  Thee  so  ill?  Herein  is  love  amazing,  love 
divine,  yea,  love  beyond  degree.  We,  too,  have  despised  Thee  in 
the  days  of  our  unregeneracy,  and  even  since  our  new  birth  we 
have  set  the  world  on  high  in  our  hearts,  and  yet  Thou  bleedest  to 
heal  our  wounds,  and  diest  to  give  us  life.  O  that  we  could 
set  Thee  on  a  glorious  high  throne  in  all  men's  hearts !     We 


448  DIVINE     HEALING. 

would  ring  out  Thy  praises  over  land  and  sea  till  men  should  as 
universally  adore  as  once  they  did  unanimously  reject. 

Thy  creatures  wrong  Thee,  O  Thou  sovereign  Good. 
Thou  art  not  loved,  because  not  understood : 
This  grieves  me  most,  that  vain  pursuits  beguile 
Ungrateful  men,  regardless  of  Thy  smile, 

The  hill  of  comfort  is  the  hill  of  Calvary ;  the  house  of  consola- 
tion is  built  with  the  wood  of  the  cross;  the  temple  of  heavenly 
blessing  is  founded  upon  the  riven  rock — riven  by  the  spear  which 
pierced  His  side.  No  scene  in  sacred  history  ever  gladdens  the 
soul  like  Calvary's  tragedy. 

Is  it  not  strange,  the  darkest  hour 

That  ever  dawned  on  sinful  earth 

Should  touch  the  heart  with  softer  power, 
For  comfort,  than  an  angel's  mirth  ? 

That  to  the  cross  the  mourner's  eye  should  turn, 

Sooner  than  where  the  stars  of  Bethlehem  burn  ? 

Light  springs  from  the  midday-midnight  of  Golgotha,  and 
every  herb  of  the  field  blooms  sweetly  beneath  the  shadow  of  the 
once  accursed  tree.  In  that  place  of  thirst,  grace  hath  dug  a  foun- 
tain which  ever  gusheth  with  waters  pure  as  crystal,  each  drop 
capable  of  alleviating  the  woes  of  mankind.  You  who  have  had 
your  seasons  of  conflict  will  confess  that  it  was  not  at  Olivet  that 
you  ever  found  comfort,  nor  on  the  hill  of  Sinai,  nor  on  Tabor; 
but  Gethsemane,  Gabbatha,  and  Golgotha  have  been  the  means  of 
comfort  to  you.  The  bitter  herbs  of  Gethsemane  have  often  taken 
away  the  bitters  of  your  life ;  the  scourge  of  Gabbatha  has  often 
scourged  away  your  cares,  and  the  groans  of  Calvary  havt:  put 
all  other  groans  to  flight.  Thus  Calvary  yields  us  comfort  rare 
and  rich.  We  never  should  have  known  Christ's  love  in  all  its 
heights  and  depths  if  He  had  not  died;  nor  could  we  guess  the 
Father's  deep  affection  if  He  had  not  given  His  Son  to  die.  The 
common  mercies  we  enjoy  all  sing  of  love,  just  as  the  sea  shell, 
when  we  put  it  to  our  ears,  whispers  of  the  deep  sea  whence  it 
came ;  but  if  we  desire  to  hear  the  ocean  itself,  we  must  not  look  at 
every-day  blessings,  but  at  the  transactions  of  the  crucifixion.  He 
who  would  know  love,  let  him  retire  to  Calvary  and  see  the  Man 
of  sorrows  die. 


BEHOLD  THE    MAN. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  451 

BEHOLD  THE  MAN. 
(JOHN  19:5.) 

Ye  that  pass  by,  behold  the  Man — 

The  Man  of  griefs — condemn'd  for  you; 

The  Lamb  of  God,  for  sinners  slain, 
Weeping  to  Calvary  pursue. 

To  us  our  own  Barabbas  give — 

Away  with  Him — (they  loudly  cry) 

Away  with  Him,  not  fit  to  live — 
The  vile  seducer  crucify ! 

His   sacred  limbs  they  stretch,  they  tear ; 

With  nails  they  fasten  to  the  wood 
His  sacred  limbs,  exposed  and  bare. 

Or  only  covered  with  His  blood. 

Behold  His  temples,  crown'd  with  thorn  ; 

His  bleeding  hands,  extended  wide ; 
His  streaming  feet,  transfix'd  and  torn ; 

The  fountain  gushing  from  His  side  ! 

O  Thou  dear  suffering  Son  of  God, 

How  doth  Thy  heart  to  sinners  move ; 

Sprinkle  on  us  Thy  precious  blood, 

And  melt  us  with  Thy  dying  love. 

If  there  be  one  place  where  our  Lord  Jesus  most  fully  becomes 
the  joy  and  comfort  of  His  people,  it  is  where  He  plunged  deepest 
into  the  depths  of  woe.  Come  hither,  gracious  souls,  and  behold  the 
Man  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  ;  behold  His  heart  so  brimming 
with  love  He  cannot  hold  it  in — so  full  of  sorrow  that  it  must  find 
a  vent.  Behold  the  bloody  sweat  as  it  distills  from  every  pore  of 
His  body,  and  falls  upon  the  ground.  Behold  the  Man  as  they 
drive  the  nails  into  His  hands  and  feet.  Look  up,  repenting  sin- 
ners, and  see  the  sorrowful  image  of  your  suffering  Lord.  Mark 
Him,  as  the  ruby  drops  stand  on  the  thorn-crown,  and  adorn 
with  priceless  gems  the  diadem  of  the  King  of  Misery.  Behold 
the  Man  when  all  His  bones  are  out  of  joint,  and  He  is  poured  out 


452  DIYINEHEALING. 

like  water  and  brought  into  the  dust  of  death ;  God  hath  forsaken 
Him,  and  hell  compasseth  Him  about.  Behold  and  see :  was  there 
ever  sorrow  like  unto  His  sorrow  that  is  done  unto  Him  ?  All  ye 
that  pass  by,  draw  near  and  look  upon  this  spectacle  of  grief, 
unique,  unparalleled,  a  wonder  to  men  and  angels,  a  prodigy  un- 
matched. Behold  the  Emperor  of  Woe,  who  had  no  equal  or 
rival  in  His  agonies  !  Gaze  upon  Him,  ye  mourners,  for  if  there  be 
not  consolation  in  a  crucified  Christ,  there  is  no  joy  in  earth  or 
heaven.  If  in  the  ransom  price  of  His  blood  there  be  not  hope,  ye 
harps  of  heaven,  there  is  no  joy  in  you,  and  the  right  hand  of  God 
shall  know  no  pleasures  forevermore.  We  have  only  to  sit  more 
continually  at  the  cross-foot  to  be  less  troubled  with  our  doubts 
and  woes.  We  have  but  to  see  His  sorrows,  and  our  sorrows  we 
should  be  ashamed  to  mention ;  we  have  but  to  gaze  into  his 
wounds,  and  heal  our  own.  If  we  would  live  aright,  it  will  be  by 
the  contemplation  of  His  death ;  if  we  would  rise  to  dignity,  it 
must  be  by  considering  His  humiliation  and  his  sorrow. 

Behold  how  every  wound  of  His 

A  precious  balm  distills. 
Which  heals  the  scars  that  sin  had  made, 

And  cures  all  mortal  ills. 

Those  wounds  are  mouths  that  preach  His  grace ; 

The  ensigns  of  his  love ; 
The  seals  of  our  expected  bliss 

In  paradise  above. 

We  here  behold  the  Savior  in  the  depth  of  His  sorrows.  No  other 
place  so  well  shows  the  griefs  of  Christ  as  Calvary,  and  no  other 
moment  at  Calvary  is  so  full  of  agony  as  that  in  which  His  cry 
rends  the  air — "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?" 
At  this  moment  physical  weakness  was  united  with  acute  mental 
torture  from  the  shame  and  ignominy  through  which  He  had  to 
pass ;  and  to  make  His  grief  culminate  with  emphasis.  He  suffered 
spiritual  agony  surpassing  all  expression,  resulting  from  the  de- 
parture of  His  Father's  presence.  This  was  the  black  midnight 
of  His  horror ;  then  it  was  that  He  descended  the  abyss  of  suffer- 
ing. No  man  can  enter  into  the  full  meaning  of  these  words. 
Some  of  us  think  at  times  that  we  could  cry,  "My  God,  my  God, 
whv  hast   Thou   forsaken   me?"      There   are   seasons   when  the 


MIND     AXD     FAITH     CURE.  453 

brightness  of  our  Father's  smile  is  ecHpsed  by  clouds  and  dark- 
ness ;  but  let  us  remember  that  God  never  does  really  forsake  us. 
It  is  only  a  seeming  forsaking  with  us,  but  in  Christ's  case  it  was 
a  real  forsaking.  We  grieve  at  a  little  withdrawal  of  our  Father's 
love ;  but  the  real  turning  away  of  God's  face  from  His  Son,  who 
shall  calculate  how  deep  the  agony  which  is  caused  Him? 

In  our  case,  our  cry  is  often  dictated  by  unbelief :  in  His  case, 
it  was  the  utterance  of  a  dreadful  fact,  for  God  had  really  turned 
away  from  Him  for  a  season.  O  thou  poor,  distressed  soul,  who 
once  lived  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  face,  but  art  now  in  darkness, 
remember  that  He  has  not  really  forsaken  thee.  God  in  the  clouds 
is  as  much  our  God  as  when  He  shines  forth  in  all  the  lustre  of 
His  grace ;  but  since  even  the  thought  that  He  has  forsaken  us 
gives  us  agony,  what  must  the  woe  of  the  Savior  have  been  when 
He  exclaimed,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?" 

Did  earth  or  heaven  ever  behold  a  sadder  spectacle  of  woe  ?  In 
soul  and  body,  our  Lord  felt  Himself  to  be  weak  as  water  poured 
upon  the  ground.  The  placing  of  the  cross  in  its  socket  had 
shaken  Him  with  great  violence,  had  strained  all  the  ligaments, 
pained  every  nerve,  and  more  or  less  dislocated  all  His  bones. 
Burdened  with  His  own  weight,  the  august  Sufferer  felt  the 
strain  increasing  every  moment  of  those  six  long  hours.  His  sense 
of  faintness  and  general  weakness  were  overpowering ;  while  to 
His  own  consciousness  He  became  nothing  but  a  mass  of  misery 
and  swooning  sickness.  When  Daniel  saw  the  great  vision,  he 
thus  describes  his  sensations :  ''There  remained  no  strength  in 
me,  for  my  vigor  was  turned  mto  corruption,  and  I  retained  no 
strength :"  how  much  more  faint  must  have  been  our  greater 
Prophet  when  He  saw  the  dread  vision  of  the  wrath  of  God,  and 
felt  it  in  His  own  soul !  To  us,  sensations  such  as  our  Lord  en- 
dured would  have  been  insupportable,  and  kind  unconsciousness 
would  have  come  to  our  rescue ;  but  in  His  case.  He  was  wounded, 
and  felt  the  sword ;  He  drained  the  cup  and  tasted  every  drop. 

O  King  of  Grief  !  ( a  title  strange,  yet  true. 

To  Thee  of  all  kings  only  due,) 
O  King  of  Wounds !  how  shall  I  grieve  for  Thee, 

Who  in  all  grief  preventest  me! 

As  we  kneel  before  our  now  ascended  Savior's  throne,  let  us 
remember  well  the  way  by  which  He  prepared  it  as  a  throne  of 


454  i> I  y  /  V ^    HE  ALl  N  a  . 

grace  for  us ;  let  us  in  spirit  drink  of  His  cup,  that  we  may  be 
strengthened  for  our  hour  of  heaviness  whenever  it  may  come. 
In  His  natural  body  every  member  suffered,  and  so  must  it  be 
in  the  spiritual ;  but  as  out  of  all  His  griefs  and  woes  His  body 
came  forth  uninjured  to  glory  and  power,  even  so  shall  His  mys- 
tical body  come  through  the  furnace  with  not  so  much  as  the  smell 
of  fire  upon  it. 

We  are  told  that  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  was  made 
perfect  through  suffering ;  therefore  we  who  are  sinful,  and  who 
are  far  from  being  perfect,  must  not  wonder  if  we  are  called  to 
pass  through  suffering,  too.  Shall  the  head  be  crowned  with 
thorns,  and  shall  the  other  members  of  the  body  be  rocked  upon 
the  dainty  lap  of  ease?  Must  Christ  pass  through  seas  of  His 
own  blood  to  win  the  crown,  and  are  we  to  walk  to  heaven  dry  shod 
in  silver  slippers?  No,  our  Master's  experience  teaches  us  that 
suffering  is  necessary,  and  the  true-born  child  of  God  must  not, 
would  not,  escape  it  if  he  might.  But  there  is  one  very  comforting 
thought  in  the  fact  of  Christ's  "being  made  perfect  through  suf- 
fering"— it  is,  that  He  can  have  complete  sympathy  with  us.  "He 
is  not  a  high  priest  that  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feelings  of 
our  infirmities."  In  this  sympathy  of  Christ  we  find  a  sustain- 
ing power.  One  of  the  early  martyrs  said,  ''I  can  bear  it  all,  for 
Jesus  suffered,  and  He  suff"ers  in  me  now ;  He  sympathizes  with 
me,  and  this  makes  me  strong."  Believer,  lay  hold  of  this  thought 
in  all  times  of  agony.  Let  the  thought  of  Jesus  strengthen  you  as 
you  follow  in  His  steps.  Find  a  sweet  support  in  His  sympathy: 
and  remember  that  to  suffer  is  an  honorable  thing — to  suffer  for 
Christ  is  glory.  The  apostles  rejoiced  that  they  were  counted 
worthy  to  do  this.  Just  so  far  as  the  Lord  shall  give  us  grace  to 
suffer  for  Christ,  to  suffer  ivith  Christ,  just  so  far  does  He  honor 
us.  The  jewels  of  a  Christian  are  his  afflictions.  The  regalia  of 
the  kings  whom  God  hath  anointed  are  their  troubles,  their  sor- 
rows, and  their  griefs.  Let  us  not,  therefore,  shun  being  honored. 
Let  us  not  turn  aside  from  being  exalted.  Griefs  exalt  us,  and 
troubles  lift  us  up.    'Tf  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  Him." 


■'ON    HIM    THEY   LAID   THE   CROSS,  THAT    HE   MIGHT 
BEAR    IT    AFTER  JESUS." 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  457 

ON  HIM  THEY  LAID  THE  CROSS,  THAT  HE  MIGHT 
BEAR  IT  AFTER  JESUS. 

(LUKE  23:26.) 

"And  as  they  led  Him  away,  they  laid  hold  upon  one  Simon, 
a  Cyrenian,  coming  out  of  the  country,  and  on  him  they  laid  the 
cross,  that  he  might  bear  it  after  Jesus." 

We  see  in  Simon's  carrying  the  cross  a  picture  of  the  work  of 
the  church  throughout  all  generations  ;  she  is  the  cross-bearer  after 
Jesus.  Mark  then,  Christian,  Jesus  does  not  suffer  so  as  to  ex- 
clude your  suffering.  He  bears  a  cross,  not  that  you  may  escape 
it,  but  that  you  may  endure  it.  Chris't  exempts  you  from  sin,  but 
not  from  sorrow.    Remember  that,  and  expect  to  suffer. 

But  let  us  comfort  ourselves  with  this  thought,  that  in  our  case, 
as  in  Simon's,  it  is  not  our  cross,  but  Christ's  cross  which  we  carry. 
When  you  arc  molested  for  your  piety,  when  your  religion  brings 
the  trial  of  cruel  mockings  upon  you,  then  remember  it  is  not  your 
cross,  it  is  Christ's  cross ;  and  how  delightful  it  is  to  carry  the  cross 
of  our  Lord  Jesus ! 

You  carry  the  cross  after  Him.  You  have  blessed  company ; 
your  path  is  marked  with  the  footprints  of  your  Lord.  The  mark 
of  His  blood-red  shoulder  is  upon  that  heavy  burden.  'Tis  His 
cross,  and  He  goes  before  you  as  a  shepherd  goes  before  his  sheep. 
Take  up  your  cross  daily,  and  follow  Him. 

Do  not  forget,  also,  that  you  hear  this  cross  in  partnership.  It 
is  the  opinion  of  some  that  Simon  only  carried  one  end  of  the 
cross,  and  not  the  whole  of  it.  That  is  very  possible ;  Christ  may 
have  carried  the  heavier  part,  against  the  transverse  beam,  and 
Simon  may  have  borne  the  lighter  end.  Certainly  it  is  so  with  you ; 
you  do  but  carry  the  light  end  of  the  cross,  Christ  bore  the  heavier 
end. 

And  remember,  though  Simon  had  to  hear  the  cross  for  a  very 
little  while,  it  gave  him  lasting  honor.  Even  so  the  cross  we 
carry  is  only  for  a  little  while  at  most,  and  then  we  shall  receive 
the  crown,  the  glory.  Surely  we  should  love  the  cross,  and,  in- 
stead of  shrinking  from  it,  count  it  very  dear,  when  it  works  out 
for  us  *'a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 


458  DIVIK  E     H  EALIN  G 


KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS. 

The  head  that  once  was  crown'd  with  thorns, 

Is  crown'd  with  glory  now ; 
A  royal  diadem  adorns 

The  mighty  Victor's  brow. 

The  highest  place  that  heaven  affords, 

Is  to  our  Jesus  given; 
The  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords, 

He  reigns  o'er  earth  and  heaven — 

The  joy  of  all  who  dwell  above, 

The  joy  of  all  below. 
To  whom  He  manifests  His  love 

And  grants  His  name  to  know. 

To  them  the  cross,  with  all  its  shame, 

With  all  its  grace,  is  given ; 
Their  name — an  everlasting  name, 

Their  joy — the  joy  of  heaven. 

They  suffer  with  their  Lord  below — 

They  reign  with  Him  above ; 
Their  everlasting  joy  to  know 

The  mvst'rv  of  His  love. 


MIND     A  N  D     FAIT  H     CU  RE  .  461 


THEY  GAVE  HIM  A  PROCESSION  OF  HONOR. 

(1)  They  gave  Him  a  procession  of  honor,  in  which  Roman 
legionaries,  Jewish  priests,  men  and  women,  took  a  part.  He 
Himself  bearing  His  cross.  This  is  the  triumph  which  the  world 
awards  to  Him  who  comes  to  overthrow  man's  direst  foes.  Derisive 
shouts  are  His  only  acclamations,  and  cruel  taunts  His  only 
paeans  of  praise.  (2)  They  presented  Him  with  the  zvine  of  honor. 
Instead  of  a  golden  cup  of  generous  wine,  they  offered  Him  the 
criminal's  stupefying  death-draught,  which  He  refused  because 
He  would  preserve  an  uninjured  taste  wherewith  to  taste  of  death  ; 
and  afterwards  when  He  cried,  'T  thirst,"  they  gave  Him  vinegar 
mixed  with  gall,  thrust  to  His  mouth  upon  a  sponge.  Oh ! 
wretched,  detestable  inhospitality  to  the  King's  Son.  (3)  He 
was  provided  with  a  guard  of  honor,  who  showed  their  esteem  for 
Him  by  gambling  over  His  garments,  which  they  had  seized  as 
their  booty.  Such  was  the  body-guard  of  the  adored  of  heaven ; 
a  quaternion  of  brutal  gamblers.  (4)  A  throne  of  honor  was 
found  for  Him  upon  the  bloody  tree ;  no  easier  place  of  rest 
would  rebel  men  yield  to  their  liege  Lord.  The  cross  was,  in  fact, 
the  full  expression  of  the  world's  feeling  towards  Him.  ''There,'' 
they  seemed  to  say,  "Thou  Son  of  God,  this  is  the  manner  in 
which  God  Himself  should  be  treated,  could  we  reach  Him."' 
(5)  The  title  of  honor  was  nominally  "King  of  the  Jews,"  but  that 
the  blinded  nation  distinctly  repudiated,  and  really  called  Him 
"King  of  thieves,"  by  preferring  Barabbas,  and  by  placing  Jesus  in 
the  place  of  highest  shame  between  two  thieves.  His  glory  was  thus 
in  all  things  turned  into  shame  by  the  sons  of  men,  but  it  shall  yet 
gladden  the  eyes  of  saints  and  angels,  world  without  end. 

At  the  cross,  her  station  keeping. 
Stood  the  mournful  mother,  weeping. 

Close  to  Jesus  to  the  last ; 
Through  her  heart,  His  sorrow  sharing, 
All  His  bitter  anguish  hearing. 

Now  at  length  the  sword  had  passed. 


462  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE   DAUGHTERS   OF  JERUSALEM. 
(LUKE  23:27,  28.) 

"And  there  followed  Him  a  great  company  of  people,  and  of 
women,  which  also  bewailed  and  lamented  Him. 

"And  Jesus  turning  unto  them  said.  Daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
weep  not  for  Me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children." 

Amid  the  rabble  rout  which  hounded  the  Redeemer  to  His 
doom,  there  were  some  gracious  souls  whose  bitter  anguish  sought 
vent  in  wailing  and  lamentations — fit  music  to  accompany  that 
march  of  woe.  See  the  Savior  bearing  His  cross  to  Calvary-  His 
mother  joins  the  godly  women  and  weeps  with  them ;  for,  indeed, 
there  is  true  cause  for  grief — cause  lying  deeper  than  those  mourn- 
ing women  thought.  They  bewailed  innocence  maltreated,  good- 
ness persecuted,  love  bleeding,  meekness  about  to  die ;  but  my 
heart  has  a  deeper  and  more  bitter  cause  to  mourn.  My  sins  were 
the  scourges  which  lacerated  those  blessed  shoulders,  and  crowned 
with  thorns  those  bleeding  brows :  my  sins  cried,  "Crucify  Him ! 
crucify  Him !"  and  laid  the  cross  upon  His  gracious  shoulders. 
His  being  led  forth  to  die  is  sorrow  enough  for  one  eternity  : 

Love  and  grief  my  heart  dividing, 

With  my  tears  His  feet  I'll  lave — 

Constant  still  in  heart  abiding, 

Weep  for  Him  who  died  to  save. 


THE   FIRST   NAIL   DRIVEN. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  465 


THE  FIRST  NAIL  DRIVEN. 

In  the  garden  see  Him  insulted  and  bound  and  before  the 
High  Priest  struck,  buffeted  and  smitten  at  every  stage  of  His 
passion  I  see  Him  in  the  hands  of  the  rude  soldiery.  The  ragged 
thorns  are  twined  into  a  crown  and  crushed  upon  His  head,  until 
every  thorn  has  made  a  wound  and  turned  its  point  against  the 
cranium.  Now  the  blood  oozes  from  the  punctures  and  trickles 
down  His  face  and  head,  until  His  hair  and  beard  are  red  with 
blood  and  matted  with  gore.  He  is  now  led  out  to  be  scourged. 
His  clothing  being  all  removed,  He  is  bound  in  a  stooping  posture 
to  the  block  with  the  skin  of  the  naked  back  stretched  tightly  and 
fully  exposed  to  the  fearful  lash.  Then 'His  tormentors  seize  their 
heavy  whips  of  twisted  leather  thongs,  with  bits  of  iron  woven  into 
the  ends  of  the  lashes  to  increase  the  tension  and  render  the  blows 
more  fearful;  now  they  descend  upon  the  fair  white  surface  of 
the  Savior's  person ;  every  blow  cleaves  the  skin  and  buries  into 
the  flesh  and  is  followed  by  ripples  of  blood.  Others  have  fainted 
and  died  under  the  infliction,  but  the  Man  of  Sorrows  survives  for 
greater  pain.  Then,  with  the  whole  surface  of  His  back  cut  into 
flakes  of  raw,  gory,  dripping  flesh.  His  clothing  is  replaced  and 
He  compelled  to  bear  the  cross  on  which  He  must  end  His  agony. 
The  heavy  wood  is  laid  upon  His  burning  shoulders,  until,  faint- 
ing with  fatigue  and  loss  of  blood.  He  sinks  to  the  earth  with 
His  burden,  from  which  the  stripes  of  His  enemies  cannot  raise 
Him.  So  another  bears  the  cross,  while  Jesus,  with  blood  dyeing 
His  footsteps,  is  pressed  forward  to  the  place  of  execution.  Gol- 
gotha is  reached.  He,  in  the  midst  of  His  enemies,  sweating 
and  bleeding,  toils  to  the  top.  Here  He  is  again  stripped,  the 
outer  garment  is  removed,  then  the  inner  vesture,  glued  fast  to 
His  hurts  by  gore,  is  rudely  torn  off,  leaving  His  lacerated  person 
with  a  harsh  ripping  sound,  bringing  with  it  skin  and  flesh,  leaving 
the  raw,  gaping  wounds  fresh  exposed  and  bleeding  to  the  sun 
and  air,  adding  agony  to  agony.    ' 

O  Lamb  of  God,  was  ever  pain — 
Was  ever  love  like   Thine? 

There  lies  the  heavy  tree,  and  He,  refusing  all  opiates,  is  taken 
by  the  soldiers  and  thrown  on  His  back  upon  the  cross.     Seizing 


466  DIVIDE     HEALING. 

His  hands  they  draw  them  out  to  their  farthest  extent;  then  a 
soldier,  with  crushing  weight  puts  his  knee  on  the  wrist  to  hold  it 
in  position,  then  opens  the  palm,  adjusts  the  nail  with  his  left,  and, 
with  a  ponderous  hammer  in  the  right,  drives  the  nail  through  the 
bones  and  muscles  and  sinews  and  nerves,  unmindful  of  the  groans 
that  escape  with  every  lacerating  blow.  Now  the  feet  are  drawn 
down  and  confined  by  a  huge  spike  driven  crushing  through  the 
insteps,  while  every  tendon  and  nerve  quivers  with  the  torture. 
Others  have  been  excavating  for  the  insertion  of  the  cross.  Now 
they  raise  it  and  with  all  their  force  thrust  it  into  the  excavation. 
O,  awful  agony!  All  the  joints  seem  wrenched  asunder  by  the 
jar  of  the  falling  cross !  The  nails  have  torn  gaping  rents  in  His 
hands.  The  spike-head  is  drawn  far  into  His  feet  and  can  be 
heard  grating  amongst  the  bones.  On  account  of  the  unnatural 
position,  and  the  violent  extension  of  the  arms,  the  slightest  motion 
produced  the  most  painful  sensations  all  through  the  body,  but 
especially  on  the  mangled  back  and  the  torn  members  which  were 
subject  to  acute  inflammation  and  constantly  increasing  pain.  The 
agony  was  increased  by  an  intolerable  thirst.  The  obstruction  of 
the  circulation  from  the  violent  tension  caused  the  blood  to  rush 
to  the  head,  occasioning  a  dreadful  headache.  The  blood  in  the 
lungs  accumulated,  rendering  breathing  difficult,  pressing  the 
heart  and  swelling  the  veins,  racking  His  whole  being  with  ter- 
rible anguish.  Loss  of  blood  through  the  open  wounds  would 
have  lessened  the  pain,  but  the  blood  clotted  and  ceased  flowing. 

More,  more  than  all,  Christ  sustained  not  only  His  weight  on 
these  pierced  members,  but  He  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on 
the  trr.'j.  Like  a  great  mountain,  they  rested  upon  Him,  darkening 
heaven  to  His  vision  and  preventing  the  ministration  of  angels 
to  His  relief.  Ah,  sinner.  His  burden  on  the  cross  was  heavy 
enough  without  your  sins  and  mine,  but  they  are  there.  They  gave 
weight  to  the  hammer  that  drove  the  nails,  and  now  how  they  gall 
His  lacerated  person ;  how  the  weight  of  them  stretches  and  tears 
and  parts  the  quivering  nerves  and  sinews  of  His  feet  and  hands ! 

List  to  His  dying  cries  of  anguish  and  remember  that  they 
were  pressed  out  by  your  sins  and  mine. 

O  sinner,  see  Him.  lifted  up, 

On  the  cross,  on  the  cross, 
For  you  He  drinks  the  bitter  cup. 

On  the  cross,  on  the  cross. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  467 

Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  as  He  hangs  bleeding,  groaning  and 
dying.  The  iron  has  entered  His  soul,  which  is  now  being  made 
an  offering  for  every  soul  of  man,  there,  there,  between  the  male- 
factors. 

See  Him  stretched  upon  the  tree 

In  that  suffering  station. 
Bearing  all  the  wrath  of  God, 

To  procure  salvation. 

Aye,  look,  for  never  before  has  a  scene  like  this  been  witnessed. 
It  is  none  other  than  the  God  of  heaven  suffering,  Deity  in  agony, 
the  Fountain  of  life  expiring  in  death. 

I  asked  the  heavens  what  foe  to  God  had  done 

This  unexampled  deed ;  the  heavens  exclaimed — 

Twas  man,  and  we  in  horror  snatched  the  sun 
From  such  a  spectacle  of  guilt  and  shame. 

I  asked  the  sea,  the  sea  in  fury  boiled, 

And  answered  with  his  voice  of  storms,  'twas  man, 
My  waves  in  panic  at  his  crime  recoiled, 

Disclosed  the  abyss  and  from  the  center  ran. 

I  asked  the  earth,  the  earth  replied  aghast 

'Twas  man,  and  such  strange  pangs  my  bosom  rent 

That  still  I  groan  and  shudder  at  the  past. 

To  many  a  gay,  smiling,  thoughtless  man,  I  went. 

And  asked  him  next,  he  turned  a  scornful  eye. 

Shook  his  proud  head  and  deigned  me  no  reply. 


A   LESSON   OF   TFIE   CRUCIFIXION. 


^-^^^'ARy. 


l/AWVu<^ 


try  ] 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  471 


A  LESSON  OF  THE  CRUCIFIXION. 

Let  us  gather  about  the  cross  and  learn  its  teachings  of  God's 
love  to  guilty  man  and  adore  the  wisdom  that  conceived  the 
wondrous  plan  of  His  redemption.  Come  learn  the  lesson  of  our 
pollution  from  heaven's  own  appraisement  and  the  ransom  paid. 
Here  learn  to  bewail  our  ingratitude  which  has  ''crucified  the  Son 
of  God  afresh  and  put  Him  to  an  open  shame" ;  and  weep  for  our 
sins  where  blood  was  spilt  for  their  pardon. 

O  how  can  we  delay  when  Christ  made  haste  and  delayed  not  to 
suffer  for  us. 

Come,  saints,  and  drop  a  tear  or  two 

For  Him  who  groaned  beneath  our  load. 

He  shed  a  thousand  drops  for  you, 

A  thousand  drops  of  richer  blood. 

"O,  if  we  will  but  harken  in  this,  our  day,  then  shall  our  peace 
be  as  a  river  and  our  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea." 

But  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  thy  passion,  O  Jesus,  my 
crucified,  my  bleeding,  my  dying  Savior,  may  I  never  forget  that 
I  have  destroyed  myself,  but  found  mercy  in  Thee,  may  I  always 
remember  that 

Thy  works,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 

Speak  gladness  to  this  heart — 
They  tell  me  all  is  done, 

They  bid  my  fears  depart. 

Thy  pains,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 

Upon  the  shameful  tree , 
Have  paid  the  law's  full  price. 

And  purchased  peace  for  me. 

Thy  tears,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 

Have  wept  my  guilt  away, 
And  turned  this  night  of  mine. 

Into  a  blessed  day. 

Thy  bonds,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 

Unbind  me  of  my  chain. 
And  break  my  prison  doors, 

Ne'er  to  be  barred  again. 


472  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Thy  wounds,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 
Can  heal  my  bruised  soul ; 

Thy  stripes,  not  mine,  contain 

The  bahn  that  makes  me  whole. 

Thy  blood,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 
Thy  blood  so  freely  spilt, 

Can  blanch  my  blackest  stains, 
And  purge  away  my  guilt. 

Thy  cross,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 
Has  borne  the  awful  load 

Of  sin,  that  none  in  Heaven, 

Or  earth,  could  bear  but  God. 

Thy  death,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 
Has  paid  the  ransom  due. 

Ten  thousand  deaths  like  mine. 
Would  have  been  all  too  few. 

Thy  righteousness,  not  mine,  O  Christ, 

Alone  can  cover  me. 
No  righteousness  avails. 

Save  that  which  is  of  Thee. 

Thy  righteousness  alone, 

Can  clothe  and  beautify; 

I  wrap  it  round  my  soul, 
In  this  Til  live  and  die. 


ri 


HIS    DYING   CRY. 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  475 


HIS  DYING  CRY. 

'Tis  finish'd  !  so  the  Savior  said, 
And  meekly  bow'd  His  dying  head : 
'Tis  finish'd!  yes,  the  race  is  run; 
The  battle  fought ;  the  vict'ry  won. 

'Tis  finish'd!  let  the  joyful  sound 

Be  heard  the  spacious  earth  around: 

'Tis  finish'd !  let  the  echo  fly 

Through  heaven  and  hell,  through  earth  and  sky. 

Our  Redeemer's  glorious  cry  of  "It  is  finished"  was  the  death- 
knell  of  all  the  adversaries  of  His  people,  the  breaking  of  *'the  ar- 
rows of  the  bow,  the  shield,  the  sword,  and  the  battle."  Behold  the 
hero  of  Golgotha  using  His  cross  as  an  anvil,  and  His  woes  as  a 
hammer,  dashing  to  shivers  bundle  after  bundle  of  our  sins,  those 
poisoned  ''arrows  of  the  bow" ;  trampling  on  every  indictment,  de- 
stroying every  accusation.  What  glorious  blows  the  mighty 
Breaker  gives  with  a  hammer  far  more  ponderous  than  the  fabled 
weapon  of  Thor!  How  the  diabolical  darts  fly  to  fragments, 
and  the  infernal  bucklers  are  broken  like  potters'  vessels !  Be- 
hold, He  draws  from  its  sheath  of  hellish  workmanship  the  dread 
sword  of  Satanic  power !  He  snaps  it  across  His  knee,  as  a  man 
breaks  the  dry  wood  of  a  fagot,  and  casts  it  into  the  fire.  Beloved, 
no  sin  of  a  believer  can  now  be  an  arrow  mortally  to  wound  him, 
no  condemnation  can  now  be  a  sword  to  kill  him,  for  the  punish- 
ment of  our  sin  was  borne  by  Christ,  a  full  atonement  was  made 
for  all  our  iniquities  by  our  blessed  Substitute  and  Surety.  Who 
now  accuseth?  Who  now  condemneth?  Christ  hath  died,  yea, 
rather  hath  risen  again.  Jesus  has  emptied  the  quivers  of  hell,  has 
quenched  every  fiery  dart,  and  broken  ofif  the  head  of  every  arrow 
of  wrath ;  the  ground  is  strewn  with  the  splinters  and  relics  of 
the  weapons  of  hell's  warfare,  which  are  only  visible  to  us  to 
remind  us  of  our  former  danger,  and  of  our  great  deliverance. 
Sin  hath  no  more  dominion  over  us.  Jesus  has  made  an  end  of  it, 
and  put  it  away  forever.  O  thou  enemy,  destructions  are  come  to 
a  perpetual  end.  Talk  ye  of  all  the  wondrous  works  of  the  Lord, 
ye  who  make  mention  of  His  name ;  keep  not  silence,  neither  by 
day,  nor  when  the  sun  goeth  to  his  rest.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul. 


476  DIVIN  E     H  EALING 


IT  IS  FINISHED. 


Hark !  the  voice  of  love  and  mercy 
Sounds  aloud  from   Calvary; 

See !   it   rends  the  rocks  asunder, 

Shakes  the  earth,  and  veils  the  sky 

It  is  finish'd — 
Hear  the  dying  Savior  cry. 

It  is  finish'd !     O  what  pleasure 

Do  these  precious  words  afford  ! 

Heavenly  blessings,  without  measure, 
Flow  to  us  from  Christ  the  Lord : 

It  is  finish'd — 
Saints,  the  dying  words  record. 

Tune  your  harps  anew,  ye  seraphs ; 

Join  to  sing  the  pleasing  theme  ; 
All  on  earth,  and  all  in  heaven. 

Join  to  praise  Immanuel's  name ; 
It  is  finish'd — 

Glory  to  the  bleeding  L>amb. 


THE   EARTHQUAKE. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  479 

THE  EARTHQUAKE. 
(matt.  27:51-60.) 

"And,  behold,  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom ;  and  the  earth  did  quake,  and  the  rocks 
rent : 

''And  the  graves  were  opened,  and  many  bodies  of  the  saints 
which  slept,  arose, 

"And  came  out  of  the  graves  after  His  resurrection,  and  went 
into  the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many. 

"When  the  even  was  come,  there  came  a  rich  man  of  Arimathea 
named  Joseph,  who  also  himself  was  Jesus'  disciple : 

"He  went  to  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  Then 
Pilate  commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered. 

"And  when  Joseph  had  taken  the  body,  he  wrapped  it  in  a 
clean  linen  cloth, 

"And  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn  out  in 
the  rock ;  and  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre, 
and  departed." 

No  mean  miracle  was  wrought  in  the  rending  of  so  strong  and 
thick  a  veil ;  but  it  was  not  intended  merely  as  a  display  of  power 
— many  lessons  were  herein  taught  us.  The  old  law  of  ordinances 
was  put  away,  and  like  a  worn-out  vesture,  rent  and  laid  aside. 
When  Jesus  died,  the  sacrifices  were  all  finished,  because  all 
fulfilled  in  Him,  and  therefore  the  place  of  their  presentation  was 
marked  with  an  evident  token  of  decay.  That  rent  also  revealed 
all  the  hidden  things  of  the  old  dispensation :  the  mercy-seat  could 
now  be  seen,  and  the  glory  of  God  gleamed  forth  above  it.  By 
the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  we  have  a  clear  revelation  of  God, 
for  He  was  "not  as  Moses,  who  put  a  veil  over  his  face."  Life 
and  immortality  are  now  brought  to  light,  and  things  which  have 
been  hidden  since  the  foundation  of  the  world  are  manifest  in 
Him.  The  annual  ceremony  of  atonement  was  thus  abolished. 
The  atoning  blood,  which  was  once  every  year  sprinkled  within  the 
veil,  was  now  offered  once  for  all  by  the  great  High  Priest,  and 
therefore  the  place  of  the  symbolical  rite  was  broken  up.  No 
blood  of  bullocks  or  of  lambs  is  needed  now,  for  Jesus  has  entered 
within  the  veil  with  His  own  blood. 


480  DIVINE     HEALING. 

THE  PRECIOUS  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST. 

(1  PETER  1 :19.) 

Standing  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  we  see  hands,  and  feet,  and 
side,  all  distilling  crimson  streams  of  precious  blood.  It  is 
"precious"  because  of  its  redeeming  and  atoning  efficacy.  By  it 
the  sins  of  Christ's  people  are  atoned  for ;  they  are  redeemed  from 
under  the  law ;  they  are  reconciled  to  God,  made  one  with  Him. 
Christ's  blood  is  also  ''precious"  in  its  cleansing  power;  it  "cleans- 
eth  from  all  sin."  "Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be 
as  white  as  snow."  Through  Jesus'  blood  there  is  not  a  spot  left 
upon  any  believer;  no  wrinkle,  nor  any  such  thing,  remains.  O 
precious  blood,  which  makes  us  clean,  removing  the  stains  of 
abundant  iniquity,  and  permitting  us  to  stand  accepted  in  the  Be- 
loved, notwithstanding  the  many  ways  in  which  we  have  rebelled 
against  our  God !  The  blood  of  Christ  is  likewise  "precious"  in 
its  preserving  power.  We  are  safe  from  the  destroying  angel 
under  the  sprinkled  blood.  Remember,  it  is  God's  seeing  the  blood 
which  is  the  true  reason  for  our  being  spared.  Here  is  comfort 
for  us  when  the  eye  of  faith  is  dim,  for  God's  eye  is  still  the  same. 
The  blood  of  Christ  is  "precious"  also  in  its  sanctifying  influence. 
The  same  blood  which  justifies  by  taking  away  sin,  does,  in  after- 
action, quicken  the  new  nature,  and  lead  it  onward  to  subdue  sin, 
and  to  follow  out  the  commands  of  God.  There  is  no  motive  for 
holiness  so  great  as  that  which  streams  from  the  veins  of  Jesus. 
And  "precious,"  unspeakably  precious,  is  this  blood,  because  it 
has  an  overcoming  power.  It  is  written,  "They  overcame  througn 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  How  could  they  do  otherwise?  He  who 
fights  with  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  fights  with  a  weapon  which 
cannot  know  defeat.  The  blood  of  Jesus  !  Sin  dies  at  its  presence, 
death  ceases  to  be  death ;  heaven's  gates  are  opened.  The  blood 
of  Jesus !  We  shall  march  on,  conquering  and  to  conquer,  so  long 
as  we  can  trust  its  power ! 


EASTER   DAY,  THE    RESURRECTION. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  483 

EASTER  DAY,  THE  RESURRECTION. 

(matt.  28:4-6.) 

Morning  breaks  upon  the  tomb, 
Jesus  scatters  all  its  gloom ; 
Day  of  triumph  through  the  skies — 
See  the  glorious  Savior  rise ! 

Ye,  who  are  of  death  afraid. 
Triumph  in  the  scattered  shade; 
Drive  your  anxious  cares  away ; 
See  the  place  where  Jesus  lay ! 

Christian  !  dry  your  flowing  tears, 
Chase  your  unbelieving  fears; 
Look  on  His  deserted  grave; 
Doubt  no  more  His  power. to  save. 

"And  for  fear  of  Him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became  as 
dead  men. 

''And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  the  women.  Fear 
not  ye :  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  crucified. 

"He  is  not  here :  for  He  is  risen,  as  He  said.  Come,  see  the 
place  where  the  Lord  lay." 

Lo,  the  angelic  bands 

In  full  assembly  meet, 
To  wait  His  high  commands, 

And  worship  at  His  feet: 
Joyful  they  come,  and  wing  their  way, 
From  realms  of  day,  to  such  a  tomb. 

Then  back  to  heaven  they  fly, 

And  the  glad  tidings  bear; 
Hark,  as  they  soar  on  high, 

What  music  fills  the  air: 
Their  anthems  say,  "Jesus,  who  bled, 
Hath  left  the  dead ;  He  rose  todav." 


484  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Ye  mortals,  catch  the  sound, 

Redeemed  by  Him  from  hell ; 
And  send  the  echo  round 

The  globe  on  which  you  dwell : 
Transported  cry,  ''J^sus,  who  bled, 
Hath  left  the  dead,  no  more  to  die." 

All  hail,  triumphant  Lord, 

Who  savest  with  Thy  blood ! 
Wide  be  Thy  name  adored, 

Thou  rising,  reigning  God. 
With  Thee  we  rise,  with  Thee  we  reign, 
And  empires  gain  beyond  the  skies. 

REV.   PHILIP  DODDRIDGE. 

OH,  DEATH,  WHERE  IS  THY  STING? 

(1  COR.  15  :55,  dC^.) 

*'0  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory? 
"The  sting  of  death  is  sin ;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law.'"* 

CHRIST'S  RESURRECTION. 

*Tn  the  end  of  the  Sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  Mary  to  see 
the  sepulchre. 

**And,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake :  for  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  back  the 
stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon  it. 

"His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment  whil:e 
as  snow : 

"And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became  as  dead 
men. 

"And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  the  women.  Fear  not 
ye :  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  crucified. 

"He  is  not  here :  for  He  is  risen,  as  He  said.  Come,  see  the 
place  where  the  Lord  lay. 

"And  go  quickly,  and  tell  His  disciples  that  He  is  risen  from  the 
dead  ;  and,  behold.  He  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee ;  there  shall  ye 
see  Him :  lo,  I  have  told  you. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUBE.  485 

"And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre  with  fear  and 
great  joy ;  and  did  run  to  bring  His  disciples  word." 

He  dies !  the  Friend  of  sinners  dies  ! 

Lo  !  Salem's  daughters  weep  around  ; 
A  solemn  darkness  veils  the  skies, 

A  sudden  trembling  shakes  the  ground : 
Come,  saints,  and  drop  a  tear  or  two 

For  Him  who  groan'd  beneath  your  load ; 
He  shed  a  thousand  drops  for  you — 

A  thousand  drops  of  richest  blood. 

.  Here's  love  and  grief  beyond  degree : 

The  Lord  of  Glory  dies  for  Man  ! 
But,  lo !  what  sudden  joy  we  see : 

Jesus,  the  dead,  revives  again. 
The  rising  God  forsakes  the  tomb ; 

(In  vain  the  tomb  forbids  His  rise;) 
Cherubic  legions  guard  Him  home. 

And  shout  Him  welcome  to  the  skies. 

Break  off  your  tears,  ye  saints,  and  tell 

How  high  your  great  Deliv'rer  reigns ; 
Sing  how  He  spoil'd  the  hosts  of  hell. 

And  led  the  monster  death  in  chains : 
Say,  Live  forever,  wondrous  King! 

Born  to  redeem,  and  strong  to  save ; 
Then  ask  the  monster,  Where's  thy  sting  ? 

And,  Where's  thy  vict'ry,  boasting  grave  ? 

The  whole  system  of  Christianity  rests  upon  the  fact  that 
"'Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead"  ;  for,  "if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is 
our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain :  ye  are  yet  in  your 
sins."  The  divinity  of  Christ  finds  its  surest  proof  in  His  resurrec- 
tion, since  He  was  "declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  ac- 
cording to  the  spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead." 
It  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  doubt  His  deity  if  He  had  not 
risen.  Morover,  Christ's  sovereignty  depends  upon  His  resurrec- 
tion, "for  to  this  end  Christ  both  died,  and  rose,  and  revived,  that 
He  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living."  Again,  our 
justification,  that  choice  blessing  of  the  covenant,  is  linked  with 


486  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Christ's  triumphant  victory  over  death  and  the  grave;  for  ''He 
was  dehvered  for  our  offenses,  and  was  raised  again  for  our 
justification."  Nay,  more,  our  very  regeneration  is  connected 
with  His  resurrection !  for  we  are  "begotten  again  unto  a  Hvely 
hope  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead."  And 
most  certainly  our  ultimate  resurrection  rests  here;  for  "if  the 
Spirit  of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you, 
He  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your 
mortal  bodies  by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you."  If  Christ  be 
not  risen,  then  shall  we  not  rise;  but  if  He  be  risen,  then  they 
who  are  alseep  in  Christ  have  not  perished,  but  in  their  flesh  shall 
surely  behold  their  God.  Thus,  the  silver  thread  of  resurrection 
runs  through  all  the  believers'  blessings,  from  his  regeneration 
onwards  to  his  eternal  glory,  and  binds  them  together.  How  im- 
portant, then,  will  this  glorious  fact  be  in  his  estimation,  and  how 
will  he  rejoice  that  beyond  a  doubt  it  is  established  that  "now  is 
Christ  risen  from  the  dead !" 

The  promise  is  fulfilled,  • 

Redemption's  work  is  done, 
Justice  with  mercy's  reconciled, 

For  God  has  raised  His  Son. 

In  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  as  in  our  salvation,  there  was  put 
forth  nothing  short  of  a  divine  power.     What  shall  we  say  of 
\     those  who  think  that  conversion  is  wrought  by  the  free  will  of 
I     man,  and  is  due  to  his  own  betterness  of  disposition?    When  we 
\    shall  see  the  dead  rise  from  the  grave  by  their  own  power,  then 
\  mVy  we  expect  to  see  ungodly  sinners  of  their  own  free  will  turn- 
ing to  Christ.     It  is  not  the  word  preached,  nor  the  word  read  m 
'  itself ;  all  quickening  power  proceeds  from  the  Holy  Ghost.     This 
power  was  irresistible.    All  the  soldiers  and  the  high  priests  could 
not  keep  the  body  of  Christ  in  the  tomb ;  Death  himself  could  not 
hold  Jesus  in  his  bonds:  even  thus  irresistible  is  the  power  put 
forth  in  the  believer  when  he  is  raised  to  newness  of  life.    No  sin, 
no  corruption,  no  devils  in  hell,  nor  sinners  upon  earth,  can  stay  the 
hand  of  God's  grace  when  it  intends  to  convert  a  man.     If  God 
omnipotently  says,  "Thou  shalt,"  man  shall  not  say,  "I  will  not." 
Observe  that  the  power  which  raised  Christ  from  the  dead  was 
glorious.    It  reflected  honor  upon  God,  and  wrought  dismay  in  the 
hosts  of  evil.     So  there  is  great  glory  to  God  in  the  conversion  of 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  487 

every  sinner.  It  was  everlasting  pozver.  ''Christ,  being  raised 
from  the  dead,  dieth  no  more ;  death  hath  no  more  dominion  over 
Him."  So  we,  being  raised  from  the  dead,  go  not  back  to  our 
dead  works,  nor  to  our  old  corruptions,  but  we  live  luito  God. 
''Because  He  lives  we  also  live."  "For  we  are  dead,  and  our  life  is 
hid  with  Christ  in  God."  Like  as  Christ  was  raised  up 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life."  Lastly,  in  the  text  mark  the  union  of  flic 
new  life  to  Jesus.  The  same  power  which  raised  the  Head  works 
life  in  the  members.  What  a  blessing  to  be  quickened  together 
with  Christ ! 


HAPPY  ART  THOU,  O  ISRAEL;  WHO  IS  LIKE  UNTO 
THEE,  O  PEOPLE  SAVED  BY  THE  LORD  ? 

(deut.  23:29.) 

He  who  affirms  that  Christianity  makes  men  miserable,  is 
himself  an  utter  stranger  to  it.  It  were  strange  indeed  if  it  made 
us  wretched;  for  see  to  what  a  position  it  exalts  us!  It  makes  us 
sons  of  God.  Suppose  you  that  God  will  give  all  the  happiness 
to  His  enemies,  and  reserve  all  the  mourning  for  His  own  family  ? 
Shall  His  foes  have  mirth  and  joy,  and  shall  His  home-born  child- 
ren inherit  sorrow  and  wretchedness?  Shall  the  sinner,  who  has 
no  part  in  Christ,  call  himself  rich  in  happiness,  and  shall  we  go 
mourning  as  if  we  were  penniless  beggars?  No,  we  will  rejoice 
in  the  Lord  always,  and  glory  in  our  inheritance,  for  we  "have 
not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear ;  but  we  have  re- 
ceived the  Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father." 
The  rod  of  chastisement  must  rest  upon  us  in  our  measure,  but 
it  worketh  for  us  the  comfortable  fruits  of  righteousness ;  and 
therefore,  by  the  aid  of  the  divine  Comforter,  we,  the  "people  saved 
of  the  Lord,"  will  joy  in  the  God  of  our  salvation.  We  are  mar- 
ried unto  Christ;  and  shall  our  great  Bridegroom  permit  His 
spouse  to  linger  in  constant  grief  ?  Our  hearts  are  knit  unto  Him ; 
we  are  His  members  ;  and  though  for  a  while  we  may  suffer  as  our 
Head  once  suffered,  yet  we  are  even  now  blessed  with  heavenly 
blessings  in  Him.  We  have  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance  in  the 
comforts  of  the  Spirit,  which  are  neither  few  nor  small.  Heritors 
of  joy  forever,  we  have  foretastes  of  our  portion.     There  are 


488  DIVINE      HEALING. 

streaks  of  the  light  of  joy  to  herald  our  eternal  sunrising.  Our 
riches  are  beyond  the  sea ;  our  city  with  firm  foundations  lies  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river ;  gleams  of  glory  from  the  spirit- world 
cheer  our  hearts,  and  urge  us  onward.  Truly  is  it  said  of  us, 
''Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel ;  who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  people  saved 
by  the  Lord  ?" 


MARY    AT   THE   TOMB. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  491 

CHRIST  IN  THE  TOMB. 
(JOHN  19:42.) 

''There  laid  they  Jesus  therefore,  because  of  the  Jews'  prepar- 
^tion-d ay ;  for  the  sepulchre  was  nigh  at  hand." 

(mark  15:46.) 

"And  he  bought  fine  linen,  and  took  Him  down,  and  wrapped 
Him  in  the  linen,  and  laid  Him  in  a  sepulchre  which  was  hewn  out 
of  a  rock,  and  rolled  a  stone  unto  the  door  of  the  sepulchre." 

MARY  MAGDALENE  AT  THE  TOMB. 
(JOHN  20:11-16.) 

"But  Mary  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre  weeping :  and  as  she 
wept  she  stooped  down  and  looked  into  the  sepulchre, 

"And  seeth  two  angels  in  white,  sitting,  the  one  at  the  head, 
and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain. 

"And  they  say  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  She 
saith  unto  them.  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I 
know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  She  turned  herself,  and  saith 
unto  Him,  Rabboni ;  which  is  to  say.  Master." 

Jesus  "appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene."  Notice  how  Christ 
revealed  Himself  to  this  sorrowing  one  by  a  word :  Mary.  It 
needed  but  one  word  in  His  voice,  and  at  once  she  knew  Him, 
and  her  heart  owned  allegiance  by  another  word.  Her  heart  was 
too  full  to  say  more.    She  said,  "Master." 

Let  us  learn  from  Mary  Magdalene  how  to  obtain  fellowship 
with  the  Lord  Jesus.  She  sought  the  Savior  very  early  in  the 
morning.  She  sought  Him  also  with  very  great  boldness.  Other 
disciples  fled  from  the  sepulchre,  for  they  trembled  and  were 
amazed ;  but  Mary,  it  is  said,  "stood"  at  the  sepulchre.  If  you 
would  have  Christ  with  you,  seek  Him  boldly.  Let  nothing  hold 
you  back.  Defy  the  world.  Press  on  where  others  flee.  She 
sought  Christ  faithfully — she  stood  at  the  sepulchre.  Some  find 
it  hard  to  stand  by  a  living  Savior,  but  she  stood  by  a  dead  one. 
Let  us  seek  Christ  after  this  mode,  cleaving  to  the  very  least  thing 
that  has  to  do  with  Him,  remaining  faithful  though  all  others 


492  DIVINE     HEALING. 

forsake  Him.  Note  further,  she  sought  Jesus  earnestly — she  stood 
"weeping."  Those  tear-droppings  were  as  spells  that  led  the 
Savior  captive,  and  made  Him  come  forth  and  show  Himself  to 
her.  If  you  desire  Jesus'  presence,  weep  after  it !  If  you  cannot 
be  happy  unless  He  come  and  say  to  you,  "Thou  art  My  beloved," 
you  will  soon  hear  His  voice.  Lastly,  she  sought  the  Savior  only. 
What  cared  she  for  angels ;  she  turned  herself  back  from  them ; 
her  search  was  only  for  her  Lord. 


CHRIST  APPEARS  TO  THE  HOLY  WOMEN. 
(matt.  28:8-10.) 

"And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre  with  fear  and 
great  joy;  and  did  run  to  bring  His  disciples  word. 

"And  as  they  went  to  tell  His  disciples,  behold,  Jesus  met  them, 
saying.  All  hail.  And  they  came  and  held  Him  by  the  feet,  and 
worshipped  him. 

"Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  Be  not  afraid :  go  tell  my  brethren 
that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  Me." 

The  doctrine  of  a  risen  Savior  is  exceedingly  precious.  The 
resurrection  is  the  corner-stone  of  the  the  entire  building  of 
Christianity.  It  is  the  key-stone  of  the  arch  of  our  salvation.  It 
would  take  a  volume  to  set  forth  all  the  streams  of  living  water 
which  flow  from  this  one  sacred  source,  the  resurrection  of  our 
dear  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ ;  but  to  know  that  He  has  risen, 
and  to  have  fellowship  with  Him  as  such — communing  with  the 
risen  Savior  by  possessing  a  risen  life — seeing  Him  leave  the  tomb 
by  leaving  the  tomb  of  worldliness  ourselves,  this  is  even  still  more 
precious.  The  doctrine  is  the  basis  of  the  experience,  but  as  the 
flower  is  more  lovely  than  the  root,  so  is  the  experience  of  fel- 
lowship with  the  risen  Savior  more  lovely  than  the  doctrine  itself. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   DISCIPLES    ON   THE   ROAD   TO   EMMAUS. 


or  THE 

UhMVERSITY 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  495 

THE  TWO  DISCIPLES  ON  THE  ROAD  TO  EMMAUS. 
(LUKE  24:13-16,  28-30.) 

The  two  disciples  on  the  road  to  Emmaus  had  a  most  profitable 
journey.  Their  companion  and  teacher  was  the  best  of  tutors;  the 
interpreter  one  of  a  thousand,  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures 
of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  The  Lord  Jesus  condescended  to  be- 
come a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  He  was  not  ashamed  to  ex- 
ercise His  calling  before  an  audience  of  two  persons ;  neither  does 
He  now  refuse  to  become  the  teacher  of  even  one.  Let  us  court 
the  company  of  so  excellent  an  Instructor,  for  till  He  is  made 
unto  us  wisdom,  we  shall  never  be  wise  unto  salvation. 

The  disciples  ought  to  have  known  Jesus ;  they  had  heard  His 
voice  so  often,  and  gazed  upon  that  marred  face  so  frequently,  that 
it  is  wonderful  they  did  not  discover  Him.  Yet  is  it  not  so  with 
you  also?  You  have  not  seen  Jesus  lately.  You  have  been  to 
His  table,  and  you  have  not  met  Him  there.  You  are  in  a  dark 
trouble  this  evening,  and  though  He  plainly  says,  "It  is  I,  be  not 
afraid,"  yet  you  cannot  discern  Him.  Alas !  our  eyes  are  holden. 
We  know  His  voice;  we  have  looked  into  His  face;  we  have 
leaned  our  head  upon  His  bosom,  and  yet,  though  Christ  is  very 
near  us,  we  are  saying,  "Oh,  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  Him  !" 
We  should  know  Jesus,  for  we  have  the  Scriptures  to  reflect  His 
image ;  and  yet  how  possible  it  is  for  us  to  open  that  precious  book 
and  have  no  glimpse  of  the  Wellbeloved !  Dear  child  of  God,  are 
you  in  that  state  ?  Jesus  f eedeth  among  the  lilies  of  the  Word,  and 
you  walk  among  those  lilies,  and  yet  you  behold  Him  not.  He  is 
accustomed  to  walk  through  the  glades  of  Scripture,  and  to 
commune  with  His  people,  as  the  Father  did  with  Adam  in  the 
cool  of  the  day,  and  yet  you  are  in  the  garden  of  Scripture,  but 
cannot  see  Him,  though  He  is  always  there.  And  why  do  we 
not  see  Him  ?  It  must  be  ascribed  in  our  case,  as  in  the  disciples', 
to  unbelief.  They  evidently  did  not  expect  to  see  Jesus,  and 
therefore  they  did  not  know  Him.  To  a  great  extent  in  spiritual 
things  we  get  what  we  expect  of  the  Lord.  Faith  alone  can  bring 
us  to  see  Jesus.  Make  it  your  prayer,  "Lord,  open  Thou  mine 
eyes,  that  I  may  see  my  Savior  present  with  me."  It  is  a  blessed 
thing  to  want  to  see  Him ;  but  oh !  it  is  better  far  to  gaze  upon 
Him.  To  those  who  seek  Him  He  is  kind ;  but  to  those  who  find 
Him,  beyond  expression  is  He  dear ! 


496  DIVINE     HEALING. 

CHRIST  EATING  WITH  HIS  DISCIPLES. 
(JOHN  21:9-14.) 

"As  soon  then  as  they  were  come  to  land,  they  saw  a  fire  of 
coals  there,  and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have  now 
caught. 

"Simon  Peter  went  up,  and  drew  the  net  to  land  full  of  great 
fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty  and  three:  and  for  all  there  were  so 
many,  yet  was  not  the  net  broken. 

"Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Come  and  dine.  And  none  of  the 
disciples  durst  ask  Him,  Who  art  Thou  ?  knowing  that  it  was  the 
Lord. 

"Jesus  then  cometh  and  taketh  bread  and  giveth  them,  and 
fish  likewise. 

"This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  shewed  Himself  to  His 
disciples,  after  that  He  was  risen  from  the  dead. ' 

In  these  words  the  believer  is  invited  to  a  holy  nearness  to 
Jesus.  "Come  and  dine,"  implies  the  same  table,  the  same  meat ; 
ay,  and  sometimes  it  means  to  sit  side  by  side,  and  lean  our  head 
upon  the  Savior's  bosom.  It  is  being  brought  into  the  banqueting- 
house,  where  waves  the  banner  of  redeeming  love.  "Come  and 
dine,"  gives  us  a  vision  of  union  zvith  Jesus,  because  the  only 
food  that  we  can  feast  upon  when  we  dine  with  Jesus  is  Himself. 
Oh,  what  union  is  this !  It  is  a  depth  which  reason  cannot  fathom, 
that  we  thus  feed  upon  Jesus.  "He  that  eateth  My  flesh,  and 
drinketh  My  blood,  dwelleth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him." 

Thee,  King  of  saints,  we  praise 

For  this  our  living  bread ; 
Nourish'd  by  Thy  preserving  grace. 

And  at  Thy  table  fed. 

Yet  still  a  higher  seat 

We  in  Thy  kingdom  claim. 
Who  here  begin  by  faith  to  eat 

The  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

That  glorious,  heavenly  prize, 

We  surely  shall  attain, 
And,  in  the  palace  of  the  skies, 

With  Thee  forever  reign. 


THE  ASCENSION. 


^  Of  ^^^  .^v 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  499 


THE  ASCENSION. 

Just  before  Christ's  ascension  He  gave  the  following  command 
to  His  disciples : 

THE    lord's    command. 

"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature."— Mark  16  :15. 

"And  He  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature. 

"He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that 
believeth  not,  shall  be  damned. 

"And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe :  In  My  name 
shall  they  cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ; 

"They  shall  take  up  serpents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them !  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and 
they  shall  recover. 

"So  then  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them,  He  was  re- 
ceived up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 

"And  they  went  forth,  and  preached  everywhere,  the  Lord 
working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  with  signs  following. 
Amen." 

When  Jesus  gave  Himself  for  us.  He  gave  us  all  the  rights  and 
privileges  which  went  with  Himself;  so  that  now,  although  as 
eternal  God,  He  has  essential  rights  to  which  no  creature  may 
venture  to  pretend,  yet  as  Jesus,  the  Mediator,  the  federal  Head  of 
the  covenant  of  grace.  He  has  no  heritage  apart  from  us.  All  the 
glorious  consequences  of  His  obedience  unto  death  are  the  joint 
riches  of  all  who  are  in  Him,  and  on  whose  behalf  He  accomplished 
the  divine  will.  See,  He  enters  into  glory,  but  not  for  Himself 
alone,  for  it  is  written,  "Whither  the  Forerunner  is  for  us  entered." 
— Heb.  6:20.  Does  He  stand  in  the  presence  of  God?  "He  ap- 
pears in  the  presence  of  God  for  us." — Heb.  9  :24.  Consider  this, 
believer.  You  have  no  right  to  heaven  in  yourself :  your  right  lies 
in  Christ.  If  you  are  pardoned,  it  is  through  His  blood ; 
if  you  are  justified,  it  is  through  His  righteousness ;  if 
you  shall  be  kept  from  falling,  it  will  be  because  you  are  preserved 
in  Christ  Jesus ;  and  if  you  are  perfected  at  the  last,  it  will  be  be- 
cause you  are  complete  in  Him.  Thus  Jesus  is  magnified — for  all 
is  in  Him  and  by  Him ;  thus  the  inheritance  is  made  certain  to  us 


500  DIVINE     U  EALING. 

— for  it  is  obtained  in  Him ;  thns  each  blessing  is  the  sweeter,  and 
even  heaven  itself  the  brighter,  because  it  is  Jesus  our  Beloved 
"in  Whom"  we  have  obtained  all.  Where  is  the  man  who  shall 
estimate  our  divine  portion  ?  Weigh  the  riches  of  Christ  in  scales, 
and  His  treasures  in  balances,  and  then  think  to  count  the  treasures 
which  belong  to  the  saints.  Reach  the  bottom  of  Christ's  sea  of 
joy,  and  then  hope  to  understand  the  bliss  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  Him.  Overleap  the  boundaries  of 
Christ's  possessions,  and  then  dream  of  a  limit  to  the  fair  in- 
heritance of  the  elect.  "All  things  are  yours,  for  ye  are  Christ's 
and  Christ  is  God's." 


ASCENSION  DAY. 

Hail  the  day  that  sees  Him  rise, 
Ravish'd  from  our  wistful  eyes ! 
Christ,  awhile  to  mortals  given, 
Reascends  His  native  heaven. 

There  the  pompous  triumph  waits : 
Lift  your  heads,  eternal  gates ; 
Wide  unfold  the  radiant  scene ; 
Take  the  King  of  glory  in. 

Circled  round  with  angel  powers. 
Their  triumphant  Lord  and  ours. 
Conqueror  over  death  and  sin — 
Take  the  King  of  glory  in. 

Him  though  highest  heaven  receives, 
Still  He  loves  the  earth  He  leaves ; 
Though  returning  to  His  throne, 
Still  He  calls  mankind  His  own. 

See,  He  lifts  His  hands  above ! 
See,  He  shows  the  prints  of  love ! 
Hark,  His  gracious  lips  bestow 
Blessings  on  His  church  below ! 


THE   DAY   OF   PENTECOST. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUKE.  603 

THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST. 
(acts  2:1-4.) 

"And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all 
with  one  accord  in  one  place. 

*'And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven  as  of  a  rushing 
mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting. 

"And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire, 
and  it  sat  upon  each  of  them. 

"And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to 
speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 

Rich  were  the  blessings  of  this  -day  if  all  of  us  were  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  consequences  of  this  sacred  filling  of  the 
soul  it  would  be  impossible  to  over-estimate.  Life,  comfort,  light, 
purity,  power,  peace,  and  many  other  precious  blessings  are  insep- 
arable from  the  Spirit's  benign  presence.  As  sacred  oil.  He 
anoints  the  head  of  the  believer,  sets  him  apart  to  the  priesthood 
of  saints,  and  gives  him  grace  to  execute  his  office  aright.  As  the 
only  truly  purifying  water,  He  cleanses  us  from  the  power  of  sin, 
and  sanctifies  us  unto  holiness,  working  in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of 
the  Lord's  good  pleasure.  As  the  light,  He  manifested  to  us  at  first 
our  lost  estate,  and  now  He  reveals  the  Lord  Jesus  to  us  and  in  us, 
and  guides  us  in  the  way  of  righteousness.  Enlightened  by  His 
pure  celestial  ray,  we  are  no  more  darkness,  but  light  in  the  Lord. 
As  -fire,  Pie  both  purges  us  from  dross,  and  sets  our  consecrated 
nature  in  a  blaze.  He  is  the  sacrificial  flame  by  which  we  are  en- 
abled to  offer  our  whole  souls  as  a  living  sacrifice  unto  God.  As 
heavenly  dezv.  He  removes  our  barrenness  and  fertilizes  our  lives. 
O  that  He  would  drop  from  above  upon  us  at  this  early  hour. 
Such  morning  dew  would  be  a  sweet  commencement  for  the  dav. 
As  the  dove,  with  wings  of  peaceful  love.  He  broods  over  His 
church  and  over  the  souls  of  believers,  and  as  a  Comforter  He 
dispels  the  cares  and  doubts  which  mar  the  peace  of  His  beloved. 
He  descends  upon  the  chosen  as  upon  the  Lord  in  Jordan,  and 
bears  witness  to  their  sonship  by  working  in  them  a  filial  spirit, 
by  which  they  cry,  Abba,  Father.  As  the  wind,  He  brings  the 
breath  of  life  to  men ;  blowing  where  He  listeth  He  performs  the 
quickening  operations  by  which  the  spiritual  creation  is  animated 
and  sustained.  Would  to  God  that  we  might  feel  His  presence  this 
day  and  every  day. 


504  •  DIVINE     HEALING 


PEACE,  LOVE,  PURITY. 

When  first  the  Spirit  left  the  throne. 
He  took  the  semblance  of  a  clove ; 

A  symbol  chosen  to  make  known 
His  peace,  and  purity,  and  love. 

When  next,  at  Pentecost,  He  came. 
He  stood  confess'd  to  mortal  sight 

Within  the  cloven  tongue  of  flame — 

The  type  of  freedom,  guidance,  light. 

Vouchsafe,  celestial  Dove,  Thy  peace. 
That  we  at  perfect  peace  may  be ; 

Within  our  hearts  Thy  love  increase — 
Within  our  thoughts.  Thy  purity. 

O  Light  divine !  direct  our  feet. 

Which  long  in  error's  paths  have  trod 

Our  prison 'd  souls  with  freedom  greet, 
Convince  of  sin,  and  lead  to  God. 


CROWNED   WITH    THORNS. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  507 


CROWNED  WITH  THORNS. 

O  sacred  head,  now  wounded 

With  grief  and  shame  weighed  down ; 
Now  scornfully  surrounded 

With  thorns,  Thy  only  crown ! 

O  sacred  head,  what  glory, 

What  bliss  till  now  was  Thine ; 

Yet,  though  despised  and  gory, 
I  joy  to  call  Thee  mine. 


WHAT   IS   THE    BADGE   OF   YOUR   SERVICE. 

Must  you  wear  an  emblem  of  what  you  love  or  believe  in? 
Then,  what  shall  it  be?  Some  wear  the  button  of  their  political 
party,  the  face  of  their  favorite  candidate ;  the  miniature  of  hus- 
band or  wife ;  of  lover  or  sweetheart ;  the  token  of  lodge  or  frater- 
nity, as  a  constant  reminder  of  their  obligation  to  the  person  or  in- 
stitution represented.  Then,  why  not,  first  of  all  and  above  all, 
wear  the  emblem  of  the  Cross?  If  it  stands  for  obedience  to  the 
precepts  of  the  Divine  Word,  ''put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
make  no  provisions  for  the  flesh  to  fulfill  the  lusts  thereof."  Ro- 
mans 13  :14.  ''Bear  the  emblem  of  His  suffering  in  atonement  for 
us,"  and  as  you  look  at  this  seal  of  your  consecration,  this  badge 
of  your  loyalty,  sing : 

When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross 
On  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  died, 

My  richest  gain  I  count  but  dross. 

And  pour  contempt  on  all  my  pride. 

Forbid  it  Lord,  that  I  should  boast, 

Save  in  the  death  of  Christ  my  God. 

All  the  vain  things  that  charm  me  most 
I  sacrifice  them  to  His  blood. 

Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small — 

Love  so  amazing,  so  divine 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all. 


508  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Let  us  honor  the  Cross.  Let  us  wear  the  Cross.  Let  us  bear 
the  Cross.  The  wearing  becomes  but  a  hollow  mockery  unless  we 
bear  it.  Seeking  to  apply  the  lessons  of  the  life  and  word  and  work 
of  the  first  great  Cross-bearer,  "who  endured  the  cross,  despising 
the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God." 
Hebrews  12  :2.  ''Where  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
us."— Hebrews  7  :25. 


\ 


He  ever  lives  above,  for  me  to  intercede. 

His  all  redeeming  love,  His  precious  blood  to  plead, 

His  blood  atones  for  all  our  race. 

And  sprinkles  now  the  throne  of  grace. 

Five  bleeding  wounds  He  bears,  received  on  CaU^ary, 
They  pour  effectual  prayer,  they  strongly  plead  for  me. 
Forgive  them,  oh  forgive,  they  cry, 
Nor  let  the  ransomed  sinner  die. 

Put  the  cross  upon  your  person  as  the  outward  badge  of  your 
devotion  to  Him  who  died  upon  it.  Put  it  likewise  in  your  heart  and 
thought  and  conscience,  to  be  the  guide  of  conduct.  As  you  would 
not  be  ashamed  of  the  flag  of  your  country,  neither  be  ashamed  of 
the  emblem  of  your  salvation.  The  banner  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  which  we  owe  our  first  and  highest  loyalty,  and  remem- 
ber, it  is  not  the  material  token,  but  the  Life  sacrificed  upon  the 
original  cross,  that  we  are  to  rely  upon,  and  trust  in  for  the  pay- 
ment of  our  debt  of  sin.  Have  no  bitterness  in  your  heart,  or 
controversy  upon  your  tongue  for  others,  who  meet  in  His  name. 
How  know  ye  that  they  are  not  His  people.  Remember  in  the  days 
of  His  flesh,  the  disciples  came,  and  John  answered  and  said. 
"Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in  Thy  name,  and  we 
forbade  him,  because  he  followed  not  with  us."  And  Jesus  said 
unto  him,  "Forbid  him  not,  for  he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us." 
— Luke  9  :49,  50.  Only,  never  rest  satisfied  in  the  outward  form 
of  religion,  however  new  and  bright  and  precious  your  external 
token  of  royalty  upon  your  breast  may  be.  Give  not  sleep  to  your 
eyes,  nor  slumber  to  your  eyelids,  until  you  can  realize  as  your 
personal  heart  experience. 

The  cross  now  covers  my  sin, 

The  past  is  under  the  blood, 
I  am  trusting  in  Jesus  for  all, 

My  will  is  the  will  of  my  God. 


Beneath  Thy  cross  I  lay  me  down, 
And  mourn  to  see  Thy  bloody  crown; 
Love  drops  in  blood  from  every  vein. 
Love  is  the  spring  of  all  His  pain. 


Here,  Jesus,  I  shall  ever  stay, 
And  spend  my  longing  hours  away. 
Think  on  Thv  bleediiig  wounds  and  pain 
And  contemplate  Thy  woes  again. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  511 

TAKE  UP  YOUR  CROSS  AND  FOLLOW  ME. 
(mark  10:21.) 

Jesus  was  a  cross-bearer;  He  leads  the  way  in  the  path  of  sor- 
row. Surely  you  could  not  desire  a  better  guide!  And  if  He 
carries  a  cross,  what  nobler  burden  would  you  desire?  The  Via 
Crucis  is  the  way  of  safety ;  fear  not  to  tread  its  thorny  paths. 

Beloved,  the  cross  is  not  made  of  feathers,  nor  lined  with  velvet, 
it  is  heavy  and  galling  to  disobedient  shoulders;  but  it  is  not  an 
iron  cross,  though  your  fears  have  painted  it  with  iron  colors ; 
it  is  a  wooden  cross,  and  a  man  can  carry  it,  for  the  Man  of 
Sorrows  tried  the  load.  Take  up  your  cross,  and  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  you  will  soon  -be  so  in  love  with  it,  that,  like 
Moses,  you  would  not  exchange  the  reproach  of  Christ  for  all  the 
treasures  of  Egypt. 

WHAT  IS  YOUR  BADGE? 

What  is  your  badge  ?  May  it  be  the  cross.  Wear  it  without, 
and  be  not  ashamed  of  it,  but  wear  the  spirit  and  principle  of  lov- 
ing obedience  which  it  represents  within,  but  God  forbid  that  I 
should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  Whom 
the  world  is  crucified,  unto  me  and  I  unto  the  world.     Gal.  6  :14. 

The  accompanying  picture,   represent- 

^^^^^.  ii^g  the  crucifixion,  is  a  fac  simile  of  the 

^^^K^^^^^  badge  I  wear.    Christ  stamped  that  cross  in 

^^^^^^^^^  my  heart,  blessed  be  His  name,  and  I  am 

j4  not   ashamed   to   wear   it;   and    I   believe 

^M  every  true  follower  of  Jesus  Christ  should 

^m  wear  the  cross,  representing  the  crucifixion, 

upon  his  person,  as  the  outward  badge  of 

his   devotion   to   Him   who   died   upon   it. 

Put  it  likewise  in  your  heart,  to  be  the  guide 

of  conduct.  For  comfort  I  always  wear 
my  coat  unbuttoned  and  thrown  back,  and 
for  that  reason  I  wear  my  badge  of  the 
crucifixion  on  the  front  part  of  my  vest, 
where  I  can  see  it,  and  where  everybody 
can  see  it.  I  have  made  arrangements  with 
the  factory  to  supply  me  with  badges  like 
mine,  in  rolled  gold,  so  that  I  can  supply  those  who  may  wish  them, 
for  two  dollars  each  (cash  to  accompany  the  order). 


mfs 


512  n  IT  T\  E     H  E  ALI  N  G 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  TODAY. 

The  churches  of  today  are  courting  the  world  and  not  God. 
Its  members  are  trying  to  bring  it  down  to  the  level  of  the  un- 
godly, the  ball-room,  the  theatre,  and  nude  and  livid  art.  Social 
luxuries,  with  all  their  loose  moralities,  are  making  inroads  into 
the  sacred  inclosure  of  the  church.  Their  nights  of  reveling  and 
wine  tippling  are  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Dear  reader,  you  should  smash  your  demijohns  if  you  want 
Christ's  company.  Christ  will  not  keep  company  with  a  man 
steeped  in  rum.  All  of  these  are  the  old  tricks  of  Satan.  The  Jew- 
ish church,  struck  and  foundered  on  that  rock ;  the  Roman  church 
was  wrecked  on  the  same  crag,  and  the  Protestant  churches  of 
today  are  fast  reaching  the  same  doom.  Let  a  Methodist  of  today 
get  a  full  blessing  of  sanctification,  or  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  the  worldly  Christians,  who  are  agents  of  the  devil,  will  call 
him  crazy.  They  say,  none  but  weak-minded  Christians  get  that 
way.  Peter's  great  sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  made  three 
thousand  fanatics.  Glory !  Hallelujah !  I  wish  I  could  get  that 
way  every  day  of  the  year. 

My  soul  has  tasted  of  the  grapes. 

And  now  it  longs  to  go 
Where  my  dear  Lord  His  vineyard  keeps, 

And  all  the  clusters  grow. 

Upon  the  true  and  living  Vine 

My  famished  soul  would  feast. 
And  banquet  on  the  fruit  divine — 

An  everlasting  guest. 

A  church  spending  its  time  in  the  cold  storage  or  club  busi- 
ness has  no  right  to  exist,  and  ought  to  be  blotted  out  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  It  is  no  longer  the  body  of  Christ.  Cold  storage  has 
its  place,  but  churches  should  not  be  in  the  business,  and,  least  of 
all,  should  the  subjects  of  salvation  be  the  raw  material  for  service 
and  isolation.  This  freezing  and  formality,  it  means  the  lost,  for 
whom  Jesus  died  become  the  victims  of  the  combination.  Many 
a  thoroughly  converted  young  man  has  marched  into  a  church 
shouting  and  singing : 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  513 

Jesus,  all  the  day  long,  was  my  joy  and  my  song ; 

O,  that  all  His  salvation  might  see. 
He  has  loved  me,  I  cried ;  He  has  suffered  and  died 

To  redeem  even  rebels  like  me. 

But  after  rattling  around  the  ice  box  for  a  couple  of  weeks  his 
range  of  vocalization  has  become  like  unto : 

My  drowsy  powers,  why  sleep  ye  so? 

Awake !  my  sluggish  soul. 
Nothing  has  half  thy  work  to  do. 

Yet  nothing  half  so  dull. 

Three  months  later  he  is  only  equal  to  chanting  a  minor  key  to 
solemn  measure : 

Hark !  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound — 

Mine  ears  attend  the  cry : 
Ye  living  men,  come  view  the  ground 

Where  you  must  surely  lie. 

And  we  wonder  why  our  churches  are  empty !  Turn  the 
refrigerator  into  the  furnace,  or  get  out  of  it. 

The  Bible  is  my  chart. 

By  it  the  seas  I  know. 
I  cannot  with  it  part ; 

Its  rocks  and  sands  doth  show. 
It  is  a  chart  and  compass,  too, 
Whose  needle  points  forever  true. 

Alas,  how  the  Bible  is  neglected  and  the  voice  of  conscience 
drawn  by  calls  of  pleasing  sin.  But  it  would  not,  could  not  be  so, 
if  these  voices  of  eternity  were  permitted  to  sound  in  our  ears. 

I  have  seen  persons  far  inland  hold  to  their  ears  the  empty  sea- 
shell  to  hear  the  fancied  roar  of  the  ocean.  O,  shall  we  not  hold 
to  our  ears  today,  this  shell  text  from  the  shore  of  eternity's  sea, 
and  let  it  admonish  us  of  the  tremendous  lifetime  of  forever  that 
we  have  yet  to  live  with  ourselves.  How  our  awakened  con- 
sciences point  us  to  that  word  of  infallible  inseparation,  until  we 
hug  it  to  our  hearts  and  cry,  "My  Father,  Thou  art  the  guide  of  my 
youth.  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart  that  I  might  not  sin 
against  Thee." 


i 


DEATH   ON   THE    PALE   HORSE. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  517 

DEATH  ON  THE  PALE  HORSE. 

(rev.  6:8.) 

The  description  of  this  scene  in  Holy  Writ  is  one  of  the  most 
vivid  and  wonderful  of  the  utterances  of  the  inspired  exile  of 
Patmos :  *'And  I  looked,  and  behold,  a  pale  horse,  and  his  name 
that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  hell  followed  with  him.  It  is  the 
opening  of  the  fourth  seal." 

ARISE  YE,  AND  DEPART. 

(micah  2:10.) 

The  hour  is  approaching  when  the  message  will  come  to  us, 
as  it  comes  to  all — ''Arise,  and  go  forth  from  the  home  in  which 
thou  hast  dwelt,  from  the  city  in  which  thou  hast  done  thy  business, 
from  thy  family,  from  thy  friends.  Arise,  and  take  thy  last  jour- 
ney." And  what  know  we  of  the  journey?  And  what  know  we 
of  the  country  to  which  we  are  bound  ?  A  little  we  have  read 
thereof,  and  somewhat  has  been  revealed  to  us  by  the  Spirit ;  but 
how  little  do  we  know  of  the  realms  of  the  future!  We  knovv 
that  there  is  a  black  and  stormy  river  called  "Death."  God  bids 
us  cross  it,  promising  to  be  with  us.  And,  after  death,  what 
cometh  ?  What  wonder-world  will  open  upon  our  astonished  sight  ? 
What  scene  of  glory  will  be  unfolded  to  our  view?  No  traveler 
has  ever  returned  to  tell.  But  we  know  enough  of  the  heavenly 
land  to  make  us  welcome  our  summons  thither  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness. The  journey  of  death  may  be  dark,  but  we  may  go  forth  on 
it  fearlessly,  knowing  that  God  is  with  us  as  we  walk  through  the 
gloomy  valley,  and  therefore  we  need  fear  no  evil.  We  shall  be 
departing  from  all  we  have  known  and  loved  here,  but  we  shall  bo 
going  to  our  Father's  house — to  our  Father's  home,  where  Jesus 
is — to  that  royal  "city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God."  This  shall  be  our  last  removal,  to  dwell  forever 
with  Him  we  love,  in  the  midst  of  His  people,  in  the  presence  of 
God.  Christian,  meditate  much  on  heaven ;  it  will  help  thee  to 
press  on,  and  to  forget  the  toil  of  the  way.  This  vale  of  tears 
is  but  the  pathway  to  the  better  country ;  this  world  of  woe  is  but 
the  stepping-stone  to  a  world  of  bliss. 


618  DITINE     HEALING. 

Prepare  us,  Lord,  by  grace  divine, 

For  Thy  bright  courts  on  high  ; 
Then  bid  our  spirits  rise    and  join 

The  chorus  of  the  sky. 

Child  of  God,  death  hath  lost  its  sting,  because  the  Devil's 
power  over  it  is  destroyed.  Then  cease  to  fear  dying.  Ask 
grace  from  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  by  an  intimate  knowledge 
and  a  firm  belief  of  thy  Redeemer's  death,  thou  mayst  be  strength- 
ened for  that  dread  hour.  Living  near  the  cross  of  Calvary,  thou 
mayst  think  of  death  with  pleasure,  and  welcome  it  when  it  comes 
with  intense  delight.  It  is  sweet  to  die  in  the  Lord ;  it  is  a  coven- 
ant-blessing to  sleep  in  Jesus.  Death  is  no  longer  banishment ;  it 
is  a  return  from  exile,  a  going  home  to  the  many  mansions  where 
the  loved  ones  already  dwell.  The  distance  between  glorified 
spirits  in  heaven  and  militant  saints  on  earth  seems  great ;  but  it 
is  not  so.  We  are  not  far  from  home — a  moment  will  bring  us 
there.  The  sail  is  spread ;  the  soul  is  launched  upon  the  deep. 
How  long  will  be  its  voyage?  How  many  wearying  winds  must 
beat  upon  the  sail  ere  it  shall  be  reefed  in  the  port  of  peace  ?  How 
long  shall  that  soul  be  tossed  upon  the  waves  before  it  comes  to 
that  sea  which  knows  no  storm?  Listen  to  the  answer:  "Absent 
•from  the  body,  present  with  the  Lord."  Yon  ship  has  just  de- 
parted, but  it  is  already  at  its  haven.  It  did  but  spread  its  sail  and 
it  was  there.  Like  that  ship  of  old,  upon  the  lake  of  Galilee,  a 
storm  had  tossed  it ;  but  Jesus  said,  "Peace,  be  still,"  and  immedi- 
ately it  came  to  land.  Think  not  that  a  long  period  intervenes 
between  the  instant  of  death  and  the  eternity  of  glory.  When  the 
eyes  close  on  earth  they  open  in  heaven.  The  horses  of  fire  are  not 
an  instant  on  the  road.  Then,  O  child  of  God,  what  is  there  for 
thee  to  fear  in  death,  seeing  that  through  the  death  of  thy  Lord 
its  curse  and  sting  are  destroyed?  and  now  it  is  but  a  Jacob's 
ladder  whose  foot  is  in  the  dark  grave,  but  its  top  reaches  to 
glory  everlasting. 

THE  REDEEMED  IN  HEAVEN. 

Lo!  round  the  throne,  a  glorious  band, 
The  saints  in  countless  myriads  stand ; 
Of  every  tongue  redeem'd  to  God, 
Array'd  in  garments  wash'd  in  blood. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  519 

Through  tribulation  great  they  came; 
They  bore  the  cross,  despised  the  shame; 
But  now  from  all  their  labors  rest, 
In  God's  eternal  glory  blest. 

They  see  the  Savior  face  to  face; 
They  sing  the  triumph  of  His  grace ; 
And  day  and  night,  with  ceaseless  praise, 
To  Him  their  loud  hosannas  raise. 

O,  may  we  tread  the  sacred  road 
That  holy  saints  and  martyrs  trod  ; 
Wage  to  the  end  the  glorious  strife, 
And  win,  like  them,  a  crown  of  life. 


BORN  AGAIN. 

You  must  be  born  again,  and  go  to  God  as  a  little  child,  or 
you  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  impossible  to 
heal  a  man  who  is  filled  with  hatred,  with  revenge,  with  malice, 
jealousy,  lust  and  all  mean,  vicious  thoughts.  God  will  not  heal 
such  a  man.  No  man  can  enjoy  perfect  health  who  allows  such 
habits  to  have  sway  over  his  being. 

Reader,  let  me  assist  you  in  your  response.  Have  you  been 
''born  again r'  If  you  have,  you  belong  to  Christ;  but  without 
the  new  birth,  you  cannot  be  His.  In  whom  do  you  trust?  For 
those  who  believe  in  Jesus  are  the  sons  of  God.  Whose  work  are 
you  doing?  You  are  sure  to  serve  your  Master,  for  He  whom 
you  serve  is  thereby  owned  to  be  your  Lord.  What  company  do 
you  keep?  If  you  belong  to  Jesus,  you  will  fraternize  with  those 
who  wear  the  livery  of  the  cross.  ''Birds  of  a  feather  flock  to- 
gether." What  is  your  conversation?  Is  it  heavenly,  or  is  it 
earthly?  What  have  you  learned  of  your  Master? — for  servants 
learn  much  from  their  masters  to  whom  they  are  apprenticed.  If 
you  have  served  your  time  with  Jesus,  it  will  be  said  of  you,  as  it 
was  of  Peter  and  John,  "They  took  knowledge  of  them  that  they 
had  been  with  Jesus." 

We  press  the  question,  "To  whom  belongest  thou  ?"  Answer 
honestly  before  you  give  sleep  to  your  eyes.  If  you  are  not 
Christ's  you  are  in  a  hard  service.     Run  away  from  your  cruel 


520  DIVINE     HEALING. 

master!  Enter  into  the  service  of  the  Lord  of  Love,  and  you 
shall  enjoy  a  life  of  blessedness.  If  you  are  Christ's,  let  me  advise 
you  to  do  four  things.  You  belong  to  Jesus — obey  Him ;  let  His 
word  be  your  law ;  let  His  wish  be  your  will.  You  belong  to  the 
Beloved;  then  love  Him;  let  your  heart  embrace  Him;  let  your 
whole  soul  be  filled  with  Him.  You  belong  to  the  Son  of  God; 
then  trust  Him;  rest  nowhere  but  on  Him.  You  belong  to  the 
King  of  kings;  then  be  decided  for  Him.  Thus,  without  youf 
being  branded  upon  the  brow,  all  will  know  to  whom  you  belong. 


ANGELS   SWINGING   THEIR   CENSERS. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  523 

ANGELS  SWINGING  THEIR  CENSERS. 

THE   CITY  GOD   HATH    MADE. 

Daily,  daily  sing  the  praises 

Of  the  city  God  hath  made ; 
In  the  beauteous  fields  of  Eden 

Its  foundation-stones  are  laid. 

In  the  midst  of  that  dear  City 

Christ  is  reigning  on  His  seat, 
And  the  angels  swing  their  censers 

In  a  ring  about  His  feet. 

From  the  throne  a  river  issues, 

Clear  as  crystal,  passing  bright, 
And  it  traverses  the  city 

Like  a  sudden  beam  of  light. 

There  the  wind  is  sweetly  fragrant. 

And  is  laden  with  the  song 
Of  the  seraphs   and  the  elders. 

And  the  great  redeemed  throng. 

O  I  would  my  ears  were  open 

Here  to  catch  that  happy  strain ; 
O  I  would  my  eyes  some  vision 

Of  that  Eden  could  attain. 

REV.  SABINE  BARING  GOULD. 

The  angels  are  swinging  their  censers  filled  with  the  bottled 
tears  of  the  saints.  Oftentimes  a  poor  broken-hearted  one  bend- 
eth  his  knee,  but  can  only  utter  his  wailing  in  the  language  of  sighs 
and  tears.  Yet  that  groan  has  made  all  the  harps  of  heaven  thrill 
with  music.  That  tear  has  been  caught  by  God,  and  treasured  in 
the  archives  of  heaven.  'Thou  puttest  my  tears  into  Thy  bottle,"' 
implies  that  they  are  caught  as  they  flow.  Prayers  are  the  falling 
of  a  tear.     Tears  are  the  diamonds  of  heaven. 

Angels  are  the  unseen  attendants  of  the  saints  of  God;  they 
bear  us  up  in  their  hands,  lest  we  dash  our  foot  against  a  stone. 


524  DIVINEHEALING. 

Loyalty  to  their  Lord  leads  them  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
children  of  His  love ;  they  rejoice  over  the  return  of  the  prodigal 
to  his  Father's  house  below,  and  they  welcome  the  advent  of  the 
believer  to  the  King's  palace  above.  In  olden  times  the  sons  of 
God  were  favored  with  their  visible  appearance,  and  at  this  day, 
although  unseen  by  us,  heaven  is  still  opened,  and  the  angels  of 
God  ascend  and  descend  upon  the  Son  of  Man,  that  they  may 
visit  the  heirs  of  salvation.  Seraphim  still  fly  with  live  coals  from 
ofif  the  altar  to  touch  the  lips  of  men  greatly  beloved.  If  our  eyes 
could  be  opened,  we  should  see  horses  of  fire  and  chariots  of  fire 
about  the  servants  of  the  Lord ;  for  we  have  come  to  an  innum- 
erable company  of  angels,  who  are  all  watchers  and  protectors 
of  the  seed  royal.  Spenser's  life  is  no  poetic  fiction,  where  he 
sings : 

"How  oft  do  they  with  golden  pinions  cleave 
The  flitting  skies,  like  flying  pursuivant. 
Against  foul  fiends  to  aid  us  militant !" 

To  what  dignity  are  the  chosen  elevated  when  the  brilliant 
courtiers  of  heaven  become  their  willing  servitors  !  Into  what  com- 
munion are  we  raised,  since  we  have  intercourse  with  spotless 
celestials !  How  well  are  we  defended,  since  all  the  twenty 
thousand  chariots  of  God  are  armed  for  our  deliverance !  To 
whom  do  we  owe  all  this  ?  Let  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  forever 
endeared  to  us,  for  through  Him  we  are  made  to  sit  in  heavenly 
places,  far  above  principalities  and  powers.  He  it  is  whose  camp 
is  round  about  them  that  fear  Him ;  He  is  the  true  Michael  whose 
foot  is  upon  the  dragon.  All  hail,  Jesus  !  Thou  Angel  of  Jehovah's 
presence ;  to  Thee  this  family  offers  its  morning  vows. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  527 

SAUL  GOING  TOWARDS  DAMASCUS. 
(acts  9:1-18.) 

"And  Saul,  yet  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  went  unto  the  high  priest, 

"And  desired  of  him  letters  to  Damascus  to  the  synagogues, 
that  if  he  found  any  of  this  way,  whether  they  were  men  or 
women,  he  might  bring  them  bound  unto  Jerusalem. 

"And  as  he  journeyed  he  came  near  Damascus :  and  suddenly 
there  shined  round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven : 

"And  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him, 
Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  roe? 

"And  he  said.  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?  And  the  Lord  said,  I  am 
Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest :  it  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against 
the  pricks. 

"And  he,  trembling  and  astonished,  said.  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou 
have  me  to  do  ?  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise,  and  go  into 
the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do. 

"And  the  men  which  journeyed  with  him  stood  speechless, 
hearing  a  voice,  but  seeing  no  man. 

"And  Saul  arose  from  the  earth ;  and  when  his  eyes  were 
opened,  he  saw  no  man :  but  they  led  him  by  the  hand,  and  brought 
him  to  Damascus. 

"And  he  was  three  days  without  sight,  neither  did  eat  nor  drink. 
"And  there  was  a  certain  disciple  at  Damascus,  named  Ananias; 
and  to  him  said  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  Ananias.  And  he  said, 
Behold,  I  am  here,  Lord. 

"And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Arise,  and  go  into  the  street 
which  is  called  Straight,  and  enquire  in  the  house  of  Judas  for  one 
called  Saul,  of  Tarsus :  for,  behold,  he  prayeth, 

"And  hath  seen  in  a  vision  a  man  named  Ananias  coming  in, 
and  putting  his  hand  on  him,  that  he  might  receive  his  sight. 

"Then  Ananias  answered.  Lord,  I  have  heard  by  many  of  this 
man,  how  much  evil  he  hath  done  to  thy  saints  at  Jerusalem : 

"And  here  he  hath  authority  from  the  chief  priests  to  bind  all 
that  call  on  thy  name. 

"But  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Go  thy  way :  for  he  is  a  chosen 
vessel  unto  me,  to  bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings, 
and  the  children  of  Israel. 

"For  I  will  shew  him  how  great  things  he  must  suffer  for  my 
name's  sake. 


528  />  I  y  I  \  E     H  E  ALI  A  G  . 

"And  Ananias  went  his  way,  and  entered  into  the  house :  and 
putting  his  hands  on  him,  said,  Brother  Saul,  the  Lord  (even  Jesus 
that  appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  earnest)  hath  sent  me, 
that  thou  mightest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

"And  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had  been  scales : 
and  he  received  his  sight  forthwith." 

Saul  could  not  understand  Christ's  gospel  teaching,  and  he  did 
not  propose  to  let  any  one  else  understand.  He  was  one  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  who  wore  the  Devil's  goggles  over  his  eyes, 
and  could  only  read  Christ's  doctrine  literally  and  interpret  its 
meaning  through  this  material,  mortal  man,  the  Devil's  agent. 
When  Ananias  healed  him,  immediately  the  Devil's  goggles  feil 
from  his  eyes,  as  it  had  been  scales,  and  he  received  his  sight  and 
could  read  spiritually  instead  of  materially. 


BEHOLD,  HE  PRAYETH. 

(acts  9:11.) 

Prayers  are  instantly  noticed  in  heaven.  The  moment  Saul 
began  to  pray  the  Lord  heard  him.  Here  is  comfort  for  the  dis- 
tressed but  praying  soul.  Oftentimes  a  poor,  broken-hearted  one 
bends  his  knee,  but  can  only  utter  his  wailing  in  the  language  of 
sighs  and  tears ;  yet  that  groan  has  made  all  the  harps  of  heaven 
thrill  with  music ;  that  tear  has  been  caught  by  God,  and  treasured 
in  the  lachrymatory  of  heaven.  "Thou  puttest  my  tears  into  Thy 
bottle,"  implies  that  they  are  caught  as  they  flow.  The  suppliant 
whose  fears  prevent  his  words  will  be  well  understood  by  the 
Most  High.  He  may  only  look  up  with  misty  eye;  but  "prayer  is 
the  falling  of  a  tear."  Tears  are  the  diamonds  of  heaven ;  wher- 
ever there  is  a  heart  big  with  sorrow,  or  a  lip  quivering  with 
agony,  or  a  deep  groan,  or  a  penitential  sigh,  the  heart  of  Jehovah 
is  open ;  He  marks  it  down  in  the  registry  of  His  memory ;  He 
puts  our  prayers,  like  rose  leaves,  between  the  pages  of  His  book 
of  remembrance,  and  when  the  volume  is  opened  at  last,  there  shall 
be  a  precious  fragrance  springing  up  therefrom. 

Faith  asks  no  signal  from  the  skies. 
To  show  that  prayers  accepted  rise ; 
Our  Priest  is  in  His  holy  place, 
And  answers  from  the  throne  of  grace. 


DR.  RICHMOND'S   VISION  OF   ETERNITY. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  531 


ETERNITY !  ETERxNITY !    THEN  WHAT  ? 

I  was  strolling  along  the  ocean  beach  one  day,  off  Golden  Gate 
Park,  San  Francisco,  as  it  had  been  my  custom  for  some  time,  in 
order  to  inhale  the  ozone  from  the  ocean.  I  was  not  well.  In 
fact,  I  was  quite  an  invalid.  After  walking  until  I  got  tired,  I  sat 
down  to  rest  and  to  read  my  Bible  as  usual.  That  day  in  particular 
I  felt  more  serious  than  usual,  and  with  upturned  head,  with  eyes 
pointing  heavenwards,  I  talked  to  God  and  thanked  Him  for  the 
many  blessings  that  He  had  bestowed  upon  me  in  years  gone  by, 
when  I  was  not  worthy  to  eat  the  crumbs  from  His  table,  and 
through  love  and  mercy  He  was  still  piling  upon  me  one  blessing 
upon  another  ;  and  I  also  thanked  Him  for  sending  His  only  begot- 
ten Son  into  this  sin-cursed  world  that  He  might  lay  down  His 
life  in  order  to  save  mine,  as  well  as  all  mankind,  and  redeem  the 
world.  I  cannot  command  words  strong  enough  to  thank  God 
for  this  great  blessing  that  He  has  bestowed  upon  mankind.  While 
I  was  talking  to  God  my  heart  was  filled  brim  full  of  love.  I  loved 
everything  and  everybody.  Even  the  music  of  the  sea  gulls  was 
more  lovely  and  sweet  than  ever  before.  And  I  loved  the  waves. 
They  were  sweet  music  ringing  in  my  ears.  All  at  once  I  heard 
in  the  distance  a  doleful  noise,  but  as  the  waves  came  nearer 
and  nearer  I  caught  the  sound,  which  echoed  through  my  ears, 
Eternity !  Eternity !  Eternity  !  Then  what  ?  As  the  waves  re- 
ceded the  sound  died  out,  but  when  they  returned  the  same  echo 
would  come  with  them  :  Eternity  !  Eternity  !  Eternity  !  Then  what  ? 
And,  again,  as  the  waves  receded,  the  sound  died  out,  but  when  the 
waves  came,  here  came  the  echo.  Eternity  !  Eternity  !  Eternity.  Then 
what?  I  began  to  ask  myself  whether  I  was  prepared  to  meet 
eternity.  I  belonged  to  the  Methodist  church  and  I  thought  I  was 
all  right.  This  word,  Eternity,  hounded  me  three  or  four  days  and  I 
bathed  my  pillow  with  tears  every  night.  I  think  it  was  the  fourth 
evening  after  that  I  opened  my  Bible  and  began  to  read  the  second 
chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  great  Pentecostal  sermon. 
I  was  reading  it  slowly,  carefully,  and  prayerfully,  when  all  at. 
once  a  flash  like  lightning  came  over  me,  and  before  I  knew  it  I 
dropped  my  Bible  to  the  floor  and  I  jumped  about  ten  feet,  the  first 
jump,  and  I  ran  around  my  room  shouting  at  the  top  of  my  voice 
and  the  tears  rolled  down  my  cheeks  in  torrents  like  rivers.  My 
face  all  lit  up  as  though  it  was  on  fire.  That  was  the  happiest 
hour  of  my  life,  and  I  never  expect  to  experience  such  happiness 


532  DIVINE     HEALING. 

again  until  I  land  in  the  celestial  heaven  up  in  the  skies.  And  what  a 
rejoicing  there  will  be  when  we  have  reached  home  in  the  heavenly 
Father's  house,  and  have  seen  our  Elder  Brother  and  be  sure  that 
we  shall  abide  with  Him  and  go  no  more  out.  Oh,  that  is  what  we 
pant  for.  We  long  to  hear  His  voice  welcoming  us  to  our  new 
abode. 

''Come  in,  thou  blessed.  Sit  by  Me.  With  My  life  I  ran- 
somed thee.  Come,  taste  My  perfect  favor !  Come  in  !  Come  in  ! 
thou  happy  spirit;  thou  now  shalt  dwell  with  Me  at  home.  Ye 
blissful  mansions,  make  him  room,  for  he  must  stay  forever." 

God  not  only  healed  me  of  my  sins,  but  also  healed  me  of  all 
my  diseases,  which  were  many.  His  healing  touch  was  wonderful. 
By  inspiration  I  was  taken  upon  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  to 
get  power,  like  the  disciples  of  old.  I  had  to  come  down  again,  and 
at  the  foot  of  the  mount  I  began  to  heal  all  manner  of  dis- 
eases. 

Jesus  went  apart  and  took  His  three  disciples  with  Him  to 
hold  high  fellowship  with  the  Father,  and  we  must  enter  into  the 
same  divine  companionship  if  we  would  bless  our  fellow-men.  No 
wonder  that  the  apostles  were  clothed  with  power  when  they 
came  down  fresh  from  the  mountain.  This  morning  we  must  en- 
deavor to  ascend  the  mount  of  communion  that  there  we  may  be 
ordained  to  the  life  work  for  which  we  are  set  apart.  Let  us 
not  see  the  face  of  man  today  till  we  have  seen  Jesus.  We,  too, 
shall  heal  the  sick  and  cast  out  devils  and  work  wonders  if  we  go 
down  into  the  world  girded  with  that  divine  energy  which  Christ 
alone  can  give.  It  is  of  no  use  going  to  the  Lord's  battle  till 
we  are  armed  with  heavenly  weapons.  We  must  see  Jesus.  This 
is  essential.  At  the  mercy  seat  we  will  linger  till  He  shall  mani- 
fest Himself  unto  us  as  He  doth  not  unto  the  world,  and  until  we 
can  truthfully  say  we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy  mount,  then  we 
are  prepared  to  meet  eternity.  Oh,  that  awful  word,  eternity, 
eternity  !  eternity  !     Then  what  ? 

Reader,  have  you  made  your  peace  with  God?  Are  you  pre- 
pared to  meet  eternity?  Strike  a  halt  and  pause  before  it  is  for- 
ever too  late.  Ah  !  remember  God  is  just,  and  because  He  is  just, 
prepare  to  meet  thy  God  ere  the  wax  hath  cooled  which  is  sealing 
thy  death  warrant.  List  to  a  warning  from  God,  for  the  book  of 
thy  doom,  once  sealed,  shall  never  be  opened  again  for  erasure 
or  inscription.  Hear  Jesus  speak  :  "The  soul  that  sinneth  shall  die. 
Behold  the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven.       And  the 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  533 

wicked  shall  be  stubble,  and  the  day  that  cometh  shall  burn  them 
up,"  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  That  it  shall  leave  them  neither 
root  nor  branch.  The  eyes  which  once  flowed  with  tears  shall  flash 
lightning  on  thee.  The  hands  which  were  nailed  to  the  cross  of 
redemption  shall  seize  the  thunder-bolts  of  vengeance,  and  the 
voice  which  once  in  melting  tones  said,  "Come,  ye  weary,"  shall 
pronounce  in  thundering  words  the  sentence,  "Depart,  ye  cursed." 
Eternity  !  eternity  !    Lost !  lost ! 

A  lady  having  spent  the  evening,  until  a  late  hour,  with  gay 
company  in  fashionable  amusement,  returning  home  found  her 
maid  reading  a  pious  book.  Taking  in  the  character  of  the  work 
at  a  glance,  she  exclaimed,  "Poor  melancholy  soul,  what  pleasuie 
can  you  find  in  such  a  book  ?"  That  night  she  could  not  sleep,  but 
lay  sighing  and  weeping,  until  her  servant,  twice  awakened  by  it, 
asked  the  cause  of  her  sorrow.  At  length,  with  a  fresh  burst  of 
tears,  she  said,  "Oh,  it  is  one  word  I  saw  in  that  book  of  yours, 
that  awful  word  'Eternity.'  How  happy  should  I  be,  were  I 
only  prepared  for  eternity."  And  this  preparation  she  obtained 
before  the  conviction  so  strangely  given,  was  lost. 

How  brief  is  time  compared  with  eternity.  "For  what  is  your 
life,  it  is  even  a  vapor  that  appeareth  for  a  little  time  and  then 
vanisheth  away." — Jas.  4 :4.  But  eternity  is  vast,  endless,  unend- 
ing, stretching  out  and  on  forever.  And  we  are  to  live  through- 
out the  whole  tremendous  reaches  of  immortal  life  with  the 
character  we  have  made,  with  the  tendencies  we  have  acquired, 
with  the  fitness  we  have  put  on,  to  find  an  aflinity  to  that  fitness ;  to 
develop  along  the  lines  of  that  predisposition  forever. 

Eternity,  eternity,  How  long  art  thou,  eternity? 
And  yet  to  thee  time  hastes  away. 
Like  as  the  war  horse  to  the  fray, 
Or  swift  as  couriers  homeward  go. 
Or  ship  to  port,  or  shaft  from  bow  ; 
Ponder,  O  man,  eternity. 

Eternity,  eternity!    How  long  art  thou,  eternity? 
For  even  as  in  perfect  sphere 
End  nor  beginning  doth  appear. 
Even  so  eternity,  in  thee 
Entrance  nor  exit  can  there  be. 
Ponder,  O  man,  eternity  ! 


634  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Eternity,  eternity !    How  long  art  thou,  eternity  ? 
A  circle  infinite  art  thou. 
Thy  center  an  eternal  now ; 
Never  we  name  thy  outward  bound. 
For  never  end  therein   is  found. 
Ponder,  O  man,  eternity ! 

Eternity,  eternity  !    How  long  art  thou,  eternity  ? 
As  long  as   God  is  God,   so  long 
Endure  the  pains  of  hell  and  wrong, 
So  long  the  joys  of  heaven  remain : 
O  lasting  joy,  O  lasting  pain. 
Ponder,  O  man,  eternity ! 

Who  could  think  of  any  departure  from  the  will  of  God,  as 
pleasurable  if  he  lives  with  this  dreadful  eternity  before  him,  and 
how  every  so-called  pleasure  would  clog  and  our  desires  for  them 
turn  to  loathing.  And,  like  Joseph  when  tempted,  we  would  say, 
"How  can  I  do  this  great  thing  and  sin  against  God  ?"  Who  can 
think  of  this  tremendous  certainty  v/hich  we  are  soon  to  realize  and 
wonder  at  the  conduct  of  a  converted  young  Methodist  in  society 
life,  who,  when  forced  by  her  fashionable  religious  father  to 
remain  for  a  gay  evening  party,  which  he  had  given  to  win  her 
away  from  her  serious  thoughts.  The  sets  were  forming  for  the 
dance,  her  father  compelled  her  to  take  the  piano  and  make  music 
for  their  flying  feet,  as  she  had  positively  refused  to  go  upon  the 
floor.  The  dancers  paused  for  the  music.  She  sat  with  her  fingers 
upon  the  keys  for  a  minute,  her  heart  uplifted  in  prayer  for 
strength  and  direction.  The  folio  of  gay  music  was  before  her. 
Then,  catching  the  inspiration  from  the  thoughts  of  eternity  that 
filled  her  soul,  she  made  a  selection  that  carried  the  thrill  of  her 
own  feeling  to  every  heart  as  she  played  and  sang : 

"And  am  I  only  born  to  die  ? 
And  must  I  suddenly  comply 

With  nature's  stern  decree? 
What  after  death  for  me  remains? 
Celestial  joys  or  hellish  pains, 

To  all  eternity. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  535 

How,  then,  ought  I  on  earth  to  Hve 
While  God  prolongs  the  kind  reprieve. 

And  props  the  house  of  clay  ? 
My  soul  concern  my  single  care 
To  watch,  and  tremble,  and  prepare, 

Against  that  fatal  day. 

No  room  for  mirth  or  trifling  here, 
For  worldly  hope  or  worldly  fear, 

If  life  so  soon  is  gone ; 
If  now  the  Judge  is  at  the  door. 
And  all  mankind  must  stand  before 

The  inexorable  throne. 

No  matter  which  my  thoughts  employ, 
A  moment's  misery  or  joy ; 

But,  O,  when  both  shall  end, 
Where  shall  I  find  my  destined  place. 
Shall  I  my  everlasting  days 

With  fiends  or  angels  spend? 

Nothing  is  worth  a  thought  beneath. 
But  how  I  may  escape  the  death 

That  never,  never  dies; 
How  make  mine  own  election  sure; 
And,  when  I  fail  on  earth,  secure 

A  mansion  in  the  skies. 

Jesus  vouchsafe  a  pitying  ray ; 

Be  Thou  my  guide,  be  Thou  my  way 

To  glorious  happiness. 
Ah,  write  the  pardon  on  my  heart. 
And  whensoever  I  hence  depart. 

Let  me  depart  in  peace." 

What  wonder  that  the  dancers  scattered  in  consternation  and 
that  the  services  of  this  true  disciple  of  Jesus  were  required  in 
pointing  many  of  the  gay  young  people  to  "the  Lamb  of  God 
that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world." — John  1 :29.  A  proper 
estimate  of  temporal  as  compared  with  eternal  things,  would  turn 
every  band  of  revelers  into  a  solemn  assembly  of  inquirers  after 


586  DIV  I  y  E    H  E  A  L  ly  G  . 

the  things  of  God.  Sacred  indeed  from  all  desire  for  the  pleasures 
of  sin,  whether  public  or  secret,  and  awakened  to  a  longing  for 
those  things  which  make  for  eternal  peace. 

It  would  lead  us  to  hate  and  abhor  sin  and  account  it  our 
greatest  enemy. 

If  the  comparative  values  of  time  and  eternity  were  kept  prop- 
erly balanced  in  our  minds,  how  it  would  shock  us  to  have  made 
unto  us  even  a  suggestion  of  evil.  How  our  faces  would  pale  with 
fear  at  even  the  possibility  of  a  single  sin  to  be  woven  like  a 
thread  into  the  garment  in  which  we  are  to  appear  throughout 
eternity.  I  think  I  see  you  when  the  whisper  is  made,  no  mattei 
how  graceful  the  form,  how  fair  the  face  or  how  siren-like  the 
voice.  The  moment  the  sinful  nature  of  it  is  made  apparent  to 
your  conscience,  how  you  start  back  from  the  tempter  as  from  the 
stroke  of  a  serpent,  and  cry  in  horror,  ''Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan, 
for  thou  art  an  offense  unto  me."  "How  shall  I  do  this  great 
wickedness  and  sin  against  God !" 

Time  and  eternity  are  before  you.  You  are  passing  rapidly 
through  the  one  and  will  soon  be  merged  into  the  other.  For  which 
are  you  living?  For  which  will  you  live?  If  for  eternity,  when, 
O  when,  will  you  begin  ?    We  shall  soon  be  in  eternity. 

Without  measuring  it  with  time  and  considering  its  greater 
value  we  cannot  be  prepared  for  it.  If  not  prepared  for  eternity 
how  miserable  will  be  our  future.  You  can  have  whichsoever  you 
choose,  either  "the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season,"  with  the  horrors 
of  eternal  shipwreck,  or  the  way  of  self-denial  to  the  flesh,  with 
sometimes  affliction,  with  the  people  of  God,  and  at  the  last  the 
eternal  blessing  of  heaven,  with  a  gladsome  spirit  that  always 
accompanies  a  conscience  void  of  offense.  No  one  can  have  both. 
Which  for  you  ?  Make  choice  today.  "Today  if  ye  will  hear  His 
voice,  harden  not  your  heart."  Think  how  much  longer  you  are 
going  to  live  in  eternity  than  here.  That  which  we  choose 
we  live  for,  that  which  we  live  for  we  receive,  that  which  we  re- 
ceive will  be  the  apparel  of  our  souls  forever  in  the  eternal  world. 
You  have  answered  the  question  often,  what  are  you  going  to 
wear,  when  preparing  for  excursion,  or  ball,  or  theatre,  or  card 
party.  I  ask  you  as  in  the  presence  of  God,  this  solemn  question, 
What  are  you  going  to  wear  in  eternity  ? 

In  coming  to  this  land  of  sunshine,  you  were  often  met  with  the 
query.  Where  are  you  going  to  live  ?  And  I  ask  you,  Where  5re 
you  going  to  live  in  the  eternity  to  which  you  are  hastening- 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  537 

I  heard  of  one  dying,  a  man  of  great  wealth,  which  he  had  made 
himself.  He  had  lived  in  a  small  way  until  his  fortune  was  abso- 
lutely assured,  then  built  a  palatial  residence  in  a  fashionable 
quarter,  into  which  he  moved  his  family.  And  for  a  while  rhey 
intensely  enjoyed  the  change  from  their  humble  dwelling  to  the 
great  one  with  all  its  appointments  of  beauty.  But,  alas,  just  as 
soon  as  we  commence  to  live  in  this  world,  we  begin  to  die.  And 
there  came  to  this  magnificent  home,  among  the  many  guests  that 
called,  one  wholly  uninvited.  No  ring  was  heard,  no  liveried 
servant  ushered  him  into  the  spacious  hall.  But  he  came — grim 
and  ghastly  and  awful — stalked  up  the  broad  staircase  to  the 
room  where  the  successful  strong  man  of  forty  took  his  rest.  The 
freezing  hand  of  the  spectre  touched  his  vitals  with  an  awful  chill. 
The  doctor  was  summoned.  He  came  often.  Others,  the  wisest 
and  best,  came  with  him  in  grave  consultation,  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. The  man  who  had  just  begun  to  fulfill  his  idea  of  living, 
must  move  out  of  it  all.  The  sad  news  was  broken  to  his  wife, 
who,  grief-stricken,  sat  in  the  parlor  weeping  as  though  her  heart 
would  break.  Their  little  four-year-old  darling  stole  into  the  room 
and  surprised  at  the  unusual  scene,  ran  to  her  saying,  "Mama, 
what  makes  you  kie,  what  makes  you  kie,  mama?"  The  mother, 
in  her  own  awful  sorrow,  desiring  to  soften  it  as  much  as  possible 
for  her  child,  said,  ''Oh,  mama  is  crying,  darling,  because  papa  is 
going  to  a  far  country  and  is  never  coming  back  to  us  any  more." 
Awed  by  the  solemn  words,  but  dimly  understood,  she  stole  up  to 
the  room  where  her  father  lay,  and,  creeping  up  to  the  bed-side 
and  upon  it  where  she  could  look  into  his  face,  she  said,  "Papa, 
papa,  have  you  dot  any  home  in  that  far-off  land  where  you  is  doin' 
to?  Say,  papa,  have  you  dot  a  home  there?"  And  the  question 
sank  down  into  the  soul  of  the  dying  man,  who  had  spent  all  his 
time  and  energy  in  accumulating  wealth  and  a  great  house  in  a 
land  he  must  leave  forever,  and  had  made  no  provision  for  the 
country  whither  he  was  going,  and  going  to  stay. 

Oh,  sinner,  you  are  doing  the  same  ;  giving  everything  to  this 
state  you  soon  must  leave  and  making  no  preparation  for  the  land 
where  you  must  remain  forever.  "Look  not  upon  the  things  which 
are  seen,  for  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things 
that  are  not  seen  are  eternal." 

Eternity,  eternity  ;  eternity  where  ? 

It  floats  in  the  air,  amid  clamor  and  silence  it  ever  is  there, 

The  question  so  solemn :  Eternity,  where  ? 


538  DIVINE     HEALING. 

Eternity  where?    O,  eternity  where? 

With  redeemed  ones  in  glory,  or  fiends  in  despair, 

With  one  or  the  other — Eternity,  where  ? 

Eternity  where?     O,  how  can  you  share 

The  world's  giddy  pleasures,  or  heedlessly  dare 

Do  ought  till  you  settle,  eternity  where  ? 

Eternity  where,  O,  friend  have  a  care ; 

Soon  God  will  no  longer  His  judgments  forbear. 

This  day  may  decide  your  eternity,  where? 

Eternity  where  ?  O,  eternity  where  ? 

Friend,  sleep  not  nor  take  in  this  world  any  share 

Till  you've  answered  this  question.  Eternity  where? 

May  God  add  His  blessing  to  the  souls  who  know  Him  not 
and  who  for  the  moment  feel  the  solemnity  of  this  awful  subject 
not  to  turn  asideto  refuges  of  lies,  and  seek  to  dissipate  their  solemn 
reflections  by  frivolity  and  lightness.  God  gives  to  every  one  con- 
victions once.  But  if  we  trifle  them  away  and  purposely  dissipate 
them,  how  can  we  tell  that  there  will  remain  any  more  sacrifice  for 
sin,  but  a  certain  fearful  looking  for  judgment  of  fiery  indignation 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

*'Be  wise  today,  'tis  madness  to  defer.  Each  day  the  fatal 
precedent  will  plead.    Thus  on  till  wisdom  is  pushed  out  of  life." 

Procrastination  is  the  thief  of  time.  Year  after  year  it  steals 
till  all  are  gone,  and  to  the  mercy  of  a  moment  leaves  the  vast 
concerns  of  an  eternal  state. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN. 

The  Pharisees  demanded  of  Christ  to  know  when  the  kingdom 
of  God  should  come.  He  answered  them  and  said,  "The  kingdom 
of  God  Cometh  not  with  observation.  Neither  shall  they  say,  Lo, 
here,  or,  lo  there,  for  behold  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you.' 

'Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  believed  on  Him,  If  ye 
continue  in  My  word,  then  are  ye  My  disciples  indeed ; 

"And  ve  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you 
free." 

Or,  in  other  words,  the  doctrine  that  Jesus  taught  was  to  be 


MIXD     AND     FAITH     CURE.  539 

taught  to  all  believers.  In  the  kindergarten  schools  Jesus  to  be 
the  teacher  and  we  to  be  the  pupils.  A  course  in  Jesus'  college  will 
put  us  in  condition  to  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  within  us.  Then 
we  will  be  prepared  to  go  to  the  kingdom  of  God  up  in  the  celestial 
skies.  What  a  blessed  privilege  to  know  that  we  can  live  in  heaven 
here  on  earth.  The  man  that  has  no  heaven  on  earth  will  stand  a 
slim  show  for  a  heaven  up  in  the  skies.  Jesus  differs  from  all 
other  teachers.  He  teaches  at  His  college  heart  instructions  ;  other 
colleges  teach  the  ear,  but  He  instructs  the  heart.  They  deal  with 
the  outward  letter,  but  He  imparts  an  inward  taste  for  the  truth. 
The  most  unlearned  of  men  become  ripe  scholars  in  the  school  of 
grace  when  the  Lord  Jesus  by  His  Holy  Spirit  unfolds  the  mys- 
teries of  the  kingdom  to  them  and  grants  the  divine  anointing  bv 
which  they  are  enabled  to  behold  the  invisible.  Jesus'  college  is  the 
only  one  in  which  God's  truth  can  be  really  learned.  Other 
schools  may  teach  us  what  is  to  be  believed,  but  Christ  alone  can 
teach  us  how  to  believe  it. 

The  day  is  coming  when  I  shall  know  as  I  am  known,  when  I 
shall  not  want  to  ask  whether  I  am  His  or  not,  for  in  His  arms 
encircled,  there  shall  be  no  room  for  doubt. 

Oh,  Christian,  you  think  there  are  slips  between  your  lips  and 
that  cup  of  joy,  but  when  you  grasp  the  handle  of  that  cup  with 
your  hand  and  are  drinking  draughts  of  ineffable  delight,  then 
you  will  have  no  doubt  or  fear. 

There  you  shall  see  His  face, 

And  never,  never  sin. 
There  from  the  rivers  of  His  grace 

Drink  endless  pleasures  in. 

Here  on  earth  the  Christian  has  to  suffer  with  bodily  aching 
pains,  aching  head,  and  his  limbs  may  be  bruised  or  broken  ;  dis- 
ease may  rack  him  with  torture ;  he  may  have  many  conflicts  be- 
tween depravity  and  gross  temptations  from  the  evil  one,  from 
the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  Devil.  Mortal  mind,  the  Devil's  agent, 
is  the  father  of  all  our  aches  and  pains  and  troubles  of  every  kind 
and  character.  When  we  arrive  in  that  celestial  heaven  in  the 
skies  our  aches  and  pains  and  troubles  of  every  kind  will  be  gone. 
There  will  be  no  more  aching  head,  no  weary  heart ;  there  no 
palsied  arm,  no  brow  ploughed  with  the  furrows  of  old  age. 
There  the  limb  shall  be  recovered  and  old  age  shall  find  itself 


540  DIVINE     HEALING. 

empowered  with  perpetual  youth.  There  the  infirmities  of  the 
flesh  shall  be  left  behind,  given  to  the  worm,  and  devoured  by  cor- 
ruption. There  they  shall  flit,  as  on  the  wings  of  angels,  from 
pole  to  pole.  Without  weariness  or  anguish  they  shall  never  need  to 
lie  upon  the  bed  of  rest,  or  the  bed  of  suffering.  There  emperors 
and  kings  are  not  known,  and  those  who  had  power  to  torture 
them,  cease  to  be.  They  are  in  the  society  of  saints.  They  shall 
be  free  from  all  the  idle  converse  of  the  wicked,  and  from 
their  cruel  jeers  set  free  forever.  Set  free  from  persecution.  Ye 
army  of  martyrs,  ye  were  slain  ;  ye  were  torn  asunder ;  ye  were  cast 
to  wild  beasts;  ye  wandered  about  in  sheepskins,  and  goatskins, 
destitute,  afflicted  and  tormented.  I  see  you  now,  a  mighty  host , 
the  habiliments  you  wear  are  torn  with  thorns ;  your  faces  are 
scarred  with  sufferings.  I  see  you  at  your  stakes,  and  on  your 
cradles.  I  hear  your  words  of  submission  on  your  racks.  I  see  you 
in  your  prison.    I  behold  you  in  your  pillories,  but. 

Now  ye  are  arrayed  in  white. 

Brighter  than  the  noonday  sun. 
Fairest  of  the  sons  of  light. 

Nearest  the  eternal  throne. 

These  are  they  who  for  their  Master  died,who  love  the  cross  and 
crown.  They  waded  through  seas  of  blood  to  obtain  the  inheritance, 
and  there  they  are,  with  the  blood-red  crown  of  martyrdom  about 
their  heads,  that  ruby  brightness  far  excelling  every  other.  Yes, 
there  is  no  persecution  there.  There  remaineth  a  rest  for  the 
people  of  God. 

The  holy  calm,  that  sweet  repose 
Which  none  but  he  who  feels  it  knows. 
This  heavenly  calm  within  the  breast 
Is  the  dear  pledge  of  glorious  rest 
Which  for  the  church  of  God  remains. 
The  end  of  cares,  the  end  of  pains. 

In  heaven  our  knowledge  will  be  perfect,  but  the  Lord  Jesus 
Himself  will  be  the  fountain  of  it.  Dark  providences,  never  under- 
stood before,  will  then  be  clearly  seen ;  and  all  that  puzzles  us  now 
will  become  plain  to  us  in  the  light  of  the  Lamb.  Oh,  what  unfold- 
ings  there  will  be,  and  what  glorifying  of  the  God  of  love !    Light 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE .  541 

also  means  manifestation.  Light  manifests.  In  this  world  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.  God's  people  are  a  hidden  people ; 
but  when  Christ  receives  His  people  into  heaven,  He  will  touch 
them  with  the  wand  of  His  own  love,  and  change  them  into  the 
image  of  His  manifested  glory.  They  were  poor  and  wretched, 
but  what  a  transformation !  They  were  stained  with  sin,  but 
one  touch  of  His  finger,  and  they  are  bright  as  the  sun  and  clear 
as  crystal.  Oh,  what  a  manifestation !  All  this  proceeds  from  the 
exalted  Lamb.  Whatever  there  may  be  of  effulgent  splendor,  Jesus 
shall  be  the  centre  and  and  soul  of  it  all.  Oh,  to  be  present  and  to 
see  Him  in  His  own  light,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords ! 

Lo !  round  the  throne,  a  glorious  band, 
The  saints  in  countless  myriads  stand ; 
Of   every   tongue   redeem'd   to   God, 
Array'd  in  garments  wash'd  in  blood. 

Through  tribulation  great  they  came; 
They  bore  the  cross,  despised  the  shame; 
But  now  from  all  their  labors  rest, 
In  God's  eternal  glory  blest. 

They  see  the  Savior  face  to  face  ; 
They  sing  the  triumph  of  His  grace; 
And  day  and  night,  with  ceaseless  praise, 
To  Him  their  loud  hosannas  raise. 

O,  may  we  tread  the  sacred  road 
That  holy  saints   and  martyrs  trod; 
Wage  to  the  end  the  glorious  strife, 
And  win,  like  them,  a  crown  of  life. 

Yonder,  in  the  better  world,  the  inhabitants  are  independent  of 
all  creature  comforts.  They  have  no  need  of  raiment ;  their  white 
robes  never  wear  out,  neither  shall  they  ever  be  defiled.  They  need 
no  medicine  to  heal  diseases,  "for  the  inhabitant  shall  not  say,  I  am 
sick."  They  need  no  sleep  to  recruit  their  frames — they  rest  not 
day  nor  night,  but  unweariedly  praise  Him  in  His  temple.  They 
need  no  social  relationship  to  minister  comfort,  and  whatever  hap- 
piness they  may  derive  from  association  with  their  fellows,  is  not 
essential  to  their  bliss,  for  their  Lord's  society  is  enough  for  their 


542  DIVINE      HEALING. 

largest  desires.  They  need  no  teachers  there ;  they  doubtless  com- 
mune with  one  another  concerning  the  things  of  God,  but  they 
do  not  require  this  by  way  of  instruction ;  they  shall  all  be  taught 
of  the  Lord.  Ours  are  the  alms  at  the  king's  gate,  but  they  feast 
at  the  table  itself.  Here  we  lean  upon  the  friendly  arm,  but  there 
they  lean  upon  their  Beloved,  and  upon  Him  alone.  Here  we  must 
have  the  help  of  our  companions,  but  there  they  find  all  they  want 
in  Christ  Jesus.  Here  we  look  to  the  meat  which  perisheth,  and 
to  the  raiment  which  decays  before  the  moth,  but  there  they  find 
everything  in  God.  We  use  the  bucket  to  fetch  us  water  from  the 
well,  but  there  they  drink  from  the  fountain  head,  and  put  their 
lips  down  to  the  living  water.  Here  the  angels  bring  us  blessings, 
but  we  shall  want  no  messengers  from  heaven  then.  They  shall 
need  no  Gabriels  there  to  bring  their  love-notes  from  God,  for 
there  they  shall  see  Him  face  to  face.  Oh,  what  a  blessed  time 
shall  that  be,  when  we  shall  have  mounted  above  every  second 
cause,  and  shall  rest  upon  the  bare  arm  of  God !  What  a  glorious 
hour  when  God,  and  not  His  creatures — the  Lord,  and  not  His 
works — shall  be  our  daily  joy !  Our  souls  shall  then  have  attained 
the  perfection  of  bliss. 

O,  angel  of  my  God,  be  near 
Amid  the  darkness,  hush  my  fear. 
Loud  roars  the  wild,  tempestuous  sea. 
Thy  presence,  Lord,  shall  comfort  me. 

As  it  is  written,  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  Him,  but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by 
His  Spirit,  for  the  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things 
of  God.    1  Cor.  2  :9,  10. 

No  human  mind  can  conceive,  no  human  voice  or  pen  can 
depict,  the  beauties  of  the  celestial  kingdom.  There  are,  however, 
passages  in  God's  word,  which  open  the  pearly  gates  a  little  way, 
so  that  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  supernal  grandeur  of  that  city 
of  celestial  glory.  We  can,  as  it  were,  pluck  a  rose  of  Sharon,  or 
a  lily  of  the  valley,  and  learn  in  miniature  what  the  fragrance  of 
the  heavenly  garden  shall  be,  where  every  hillside  and  meadow- 
land  is  covered  with  perpetual  glory.  Through  this  crevice  of 
that  open  gate  we  can,  as  it  were,  for  a  moment  catch  a  sight  of 
the  redeemed,  whose  garments  are  as  white  as  the  driven  snow. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUBE.  543 

and  whose  joys  are  limited  only  by  their,  own  capacity  to  enjoy  the 
happiness  provided  for  them  by  their  Almighty  and  All-loving 
Father.  It  is  for  such  a  glimpse  of  this  heaven  to  which  all  true 
Christians  are  heading,  that  I  would  open  my  Bible  today,  and 
speak  from  the  text,  "As  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy, 
we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

If  there  is  one  season  in  which  the  soul  gets  into  closer  com- 
munion with  Christ  than  another,  it  is  at  the  Lord's  table.  How 
often  have  we  sung  there: 

Can  I  Gethsamane  forget,  or  there  Thy  conflicts  see. 
Thine  agony  and  bloody  sweat,  and  not  remember  Thee  ? 
Remember  Thee  and  all  Thy  pains,  and  all  Thy  love  for  me. 
Yes,  while  a  pulse  or  breath  remains,  I  will  remember  Thee. 

And  then,  you  see  what  an  easy  transition  it  is  to  heaven. 

And  when  these  failing  lips  grow  dumb, 

And  thought  and  memory  flee, 
When  Thou  shalt  in  Thy  kingdom  come, 

Jesus,  remember  me. 

Our  bleeding  Lord  hath  the  key  of  heaven.  He  openeth  and 
no  man  shuteth.  Let  us  enter  in  with  Him  into  the  heavenly 
places,  and  sit  with  Him  there  till  our  common  enemies  shall  be 
made  His  footstool. 

Jesus,  I  will  praise  Thee  every  day, 
Now,  Thine  anger  turned  away, 
Comfortable  thoughts  arise. 
From  the  bleeding  sacrifice. 

Jesus  is  become  at  length 
My  salvation  and  my  strength, 
And  His  praises  shall  prolong. 
While  I  live,  my  pleasant  song. 

Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord.  Though 
your  sins  are  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow.  Though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool,  for  God  so  loved 


544  DIVINE      H  EALIA  (J  . 

the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 

Still  on  the  Lord  my  burden  roll, 

Nor  let  a  care  remain. 

His  mighty  arms  shall  bear  my  soul,  * 

And  all  my  grief  sustain. 

Ne'er  will  the  Lord  His  aid  deny. 
To  those  who  trust  His  love, 
And  they  who  on  His  grace  rely 
Shall  sing  His  praise  above. 

Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  the 
heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  Him,  but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  Spirit,  in 
some  measure,  and  He  will  do  so  more  and  more  by-and-by. 

My  sins  and  sorrows,  strifes  and  fears, 

I  bid  them  all  farewell. 
High  up  amid  the  eternal  years. 

With  Christ  my  Lord  to  dwell. 

A  mansion  there  not  made  with  hands, 

A  place  prepared  for  me. 
And  while  God  lives  and  angels  sing 

That  home  my  home  shall  be. 

Heaven,  then,  what  is  it?  It  is  not  a  heaven  of  the  senses. 
Eye  hath  not  seen  it.  What  glorious  things  the  eye  hath  seen.  We 
have  seen  the  procession  of  kings  and  princes ;  oiir  eyes  have  been 
feasted  with  the  display  of  glittering  uniform  of  lavish  gold  and 
jewels,  of  chariots  and  horses,  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  the 
procession  of  the  saints  of  God  may  be  divinely  shadowed  thereby. 
By  night  we  have  seen  the  stars,  those  golden  fleeced  sheep  of 
God,  feeding  on  the  blue  meadow  of  the  sky,  and  we  have  said, 
See,  those  are  the  nails  in  the  floor  of  heaven  up  yonder,  and  if  this 
earth  has  such  glorious  covering,  what  must  that  of  the  kingdom 
be?  And  when  our  eye  has  wandered  from  star  to  star,  we  have 
thought,  Now  I  can  tell  what  heaven  is  by  the  beauty  of  its  floor, 
but  it  is  all  a  mistake.  All  that  we  can  see  can  never  help  us  to 
understand  heaven.     Eye  hath   not   seen,  and  the  ear  hath  not 


M I N  D     A  N  D     FAITH     CURE.  545 

heard  it.  We  have  sometimes  heard  the  sweet  voice  of  a  mes- 
senger of  God,  when  He  has  by  the  Spirit  spoken  to  our  soul.  We 
knew  something  of  heaven  then,  we  thought.  At  other  times 
we  have  been  entranced  with  the  voice  of  the  preacher,  and  with 
the  remarkable  sayings  which  he  has  uttered.  We  have  been 
charmed  by  his  eloquence ;  some  of  us  have  known  what  it  is  to 
sit  and  weep  and  smile  alternately,  under  the  power  of  some  mighty 
man,  who  played  with  us  as  skilfully  as  David  could  have  played 
on  his  harp,  and  we  have  said  we  know  something  of  what  heaven 
is,  for  our  mind  is  carried  away ;  but,  ah,  we  made  a  mistake.  Ear 
hath  not  heard  it.  The  apostle  John  was  privileged  to  look 
within  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  in  describing  what  he  saw,  he  be- 
gins by  saying,  "I  looked,  and  lo,  a. lamb;"  this  teaches  us  that 
the  chief  object  of  contemplation  in  the  heavenly  state  is  the 
Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  Nothing 
else  attracted  the  apostle's  attention  so  much  as  the  person  of  the 
Divine  Being  who  hath  redeemed  us  by  His  blood.  He  is  the 
theme  of  the  songs  of  all  glorified  spirits  and  holy  angels. 

Here  is  joy  for  the  Christian,  through  their  tears  their  eyes 
have  seen  the  Lamb  of  God  taking  away  their  sins.  'T  looked,  and 
lo,  a  Lamb."  Why,  that  Lamb  is  heaven  itself.  Heaven  and 
Christ  are  the  same  thing.  To  be  with  Christ  is  to  be  in  heaven, 
and  to  be  in  heaven  is  to  be  with  Christ. 

Not  all  the  harps  above 

Can  make  a  heavenly  place, 
If  God  His  residence  remove 

Or  but  conceal  His  face. 

All  we  need  to  make  us  blessed,  supremely  blessed,  is  to  be 
with  Christ.  The  conditions  of  glorified  spirits  in  heaven  is  that 
of  the  nearness  to  Christ.  Clear  vision  of  His  glory,  constant  ac- 
cess to  His  court,  and  familiar  fellowship  with  His  person.  Nor  is 
there  any  difference  in  this  respect  between  one  thing  and  another, 
but  all  the  people  of  God,  apostles,  martyrs,  ministers,  or  private 
and  obscure  Christians,  shall  all  be  seated  near  the  throne,  where 
they  shall  forever  gaze  upon  their  exalted  Lord,  and  be  satisfied 
with  His  love.  They  shall  all  be  near  to  Christ.  All  ravished  with 
His  love.  All  eating  and  drinking  at  the  same  table  with  Him. 
All  equally  beloved  as  His  favorites  and  friends,  even  if  not  all 
equally  rewarded  as  servants. 


546  DIVINE      HEALING. 

When  I  stand  before  the  throne, 
Dressed  in  beauty  not  my  own, 
When  I  see  Thee  as  Thou  art, 
Love  Thee  with  unsinning  heart, 
Then,  Lord,  shall  I  fully  know. 
Not  till  then,  how  much  I  owe. 

Christians  on  earth  should  imitate  the  spirits  from  heaven,  in 
their  nearness  to  Christ.  Let  us  on  earth  be  as  the  elders  are  in 
heaven,  sitting  around  the  throne.  May  Christ  be  the  object  of 
our  thoughts ;  the  center  of  our  lives.  How  can  we  endure  to 
live  at  such  a  distance  from  our  Beloved?  Lord  Jesus,  draw  us 
nearer  to  Thyself.  Say  unto  us,  ''Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you,"  and 
permit  us  to  sing : 

Oh,  lift  me  higher,  nearer  Thee, 

And  as  I  rise  more  pure  and  meet. 

Oh,  let  my  soul's  humility 

Make  me  lie  lower  at  Thy  feet. 

Less  trusting  self,  the  more  I  prove. 

The  blessed  comfort  of  Thy  love. 

Christ  drieth  our  tears  by  His  revelation  of  forgiveness,  and 
His  limitless  forgiveness.  The  bitterest  tears  of  reproach  and 
remorse  are  dried  away.  Christ  gives  us  tearless  eyes  by  His 
revelation  of  our  share  in  His  own  destiny.  "Father,  I  will  that 
they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me  be  with  Me  where  I  am, 
that  they  may  behold  My  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  Me." 
Nothing  can  disappoint  that  will.  The  destiny  of  Christ  is  the 
destiny  of  every  one  who  trusts  Him. 

Then  let  our  songs  abound, 

And  every  tear  be  dry. 
We're  marching  through  Immanuel's  ground, 

To  fairer  worlds  on  high. 

In  due  time  there  shall  be  heard  a  great  voice  in  heaven,  to 
every  believer  saying,  ''Come  up  hither."  This  should  be  to  the 
saints  the  subject  of  joyful  anticipation.  Instead  of  dreading  the 
time  when  we  shall  leave  this  world  to  go  unto  the  Father,  we 
should  be  panting  for  the  hour  of  our  emancipation.  Our  song 
should  be : 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  547 

My  heart  is  with  Him  on  His  throne, 

And  ill  can  brook  delay, 
Each  moment  listening  for  the  voice, 

Rise  up,  and  come  away. 

We  are  not  called  down  to  the  grave,  but  up  to  the  sky.  Our 
heaven-born  spirits  should  long  for  their  native  air.  Our  God 
knows  best  when  to  bid  us  come  up  hither.  We  must  not  wish 
to  antedate  the  period  of  our  departure.  I  know  that  strong  love 
will  make  us  cry: 

Oh,  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  waves  divide. 
And  land  us  all  in  heaven. 

But  patience  must  have  her  perfect  work.  God  ordains  with 
accurate  wisdom  a  most  fitting  time  for  the  redeemed  to  abide 
below.  Surely,  if  there  could  be  regrets,  the  saints  might  mourn 
that  they  did  not  live  longer  here  to  do  more  good.  Oh,  for  more 
sheaves  for  my  Lord's  garner,  and  more  jewels  for  His  crown. 

My  God,  I  am  Thine,  what  a  comfort  divine, 
What  a  blessing  to  know  that  the  Savior  is  mine. 
In  the  heavenly  land,  thrice  happy  I  am. 
And  my  heart  it  doth  dance  at  the  sound  of  His  name. 

Living  near  the  cross  of  Calvary,  we  may  think  of  death  with 
pleasure  and  welcome  it  when  it  comes  with  intense  delight.  It  is 
sweet  to  die  in  the  Lord.  It  is  a  covenant  blessing  to  sleep  in 
Jesus.  Death  is  no  longer  banishment.  It  is  a  return  from  exile, 
a  going-home  to  the  many  mansions  where  the  loved  ones  already 
dwell.  How  long  shall  the  soul  be  tossed  upon  the  waves  before  it 
comes  to  that  sea  which  knows  no  storm.  Listen  to  the  answer, 
absent  from  the  body,  present  with  the  Lord.  Yon  ship  has  just 
departed,  but  it  is  already  at  its  haven  ;  it  did  but  spread  its  sail  and 
it  was  there ;  like  the  ship  of  old,  upon  the  lake  of  Galilee,  a  storm 
had  tossed  it,  but  Jesus  said,  "Peace,  be  still,"  and  immediately  it 
came  to  land.  When  the  eyes  close  in  death,  they  open  in  heaven. 
The  chariot  and  horses  of  fire  are  but  an  instant  on  the  road. 
Then,  oh  child  of  God,  what  is  there  for  thee  to  fear  in  death, 
seeing  that  through  the  death  of  thy  Lord,  its  curse  and  sting  are 
destroyed,  and  now  it  is  but  a  Jacob's  ladder,  whose  foot  is  in  the 


548  DIVINE      HEALING. 

dark  grave,  but  its  top  reaches  to  glory  everlasting.    When  I  get 
there  I  will  sing : 

There  shall  I  bathe  my  weary  soul 

In  seas  of  heavenly  rest, 
And  not  a  wave  of  trouble  roll 

Across  my  peaceful  breast. 

Heaven  is  a  state  of  acceptance.  We  can  know  and  feel  that 
acceptance,  and  rejoice  in  it.  When  we  look  forward  to  our  ex- 
perience in  heaven,  we  sing: 

Then  shall   I   see  and  hear  and  know, 
All  I  desire  or  wish  below. 
And  every  power  finds  sweet  employ, 
In  that  eternal  world  of  joy. 

We  are  now  looking  at  Him  darkly,  through  a  glass,  but  there 
we  shall  see  Him  face  to  face.  Christ  looks  down  on  the  Bible, 
and  the  Bible  is  His  looking-glass.  We  look  into  it,  and  see  the 
face  of  Christ,  as  in  a  mirror  darkly,  but  soon  we  shall  look  upon 
Him  face  to  face.  Have  we  not  had  visions  of  Calvary?  Have 
we  not  wept  both  for  joy  and  for  grief,  when  we  beheld  our  Savior 
nailed  to  the  tree  for  our  sake,  and  saw  Him  bleeding  out  His  life 
for  us  ? 

Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing, 

Which  before  the  cross  I  spend, 
Life  and  health,  and  peace  possessing, 
P>om  the  sinner's  dying  Friend. 
Here  Til  sit  forever  viewing, 

Mercy's  streams  in  drops  of  blood. 
Precious  drops  my  soul  bedewing, 

Plead  and  claim  my  place  with  God. 

Every  true  believer  in  Jesus  can  sing: 

My  name  from  the  palms  of  His  hands, 

Eternity  will  not  erase. 
Impressed  on  His  heart  it  remains. 

In  marks  of  indelible  grace. 


MIND     AN  D     FAITH     CURE.  549 

Yes,  I  to  the  end  shall  endure, 

As  sure  as  the  earnest  is  given  ; 
More  happy,  but  not  more  secure, 

The  glorified  spirits  in  Heaven. 

In  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God,  Job.  19  :26.  Mark  the  subject  of 
Job's  devout  anticipation.  I  shall  see  God.  He  does  not  say,  I 
shall  see  the  saints,  but  I  shall  see  God.  It  is  not,  I  shall  see  the 
pearly  gates,  I  shall  behold  the  walls  of  jasper,  I  shall  gaze  upon 
the  crowns  of  gold,  but,  I  shall  see  God.  This  is  the  sum  and 
substance  of  heaven :  is  the  joyful  hope  of  all  the  labor. 
They  love  to  behold  Him  in  communion  and  in  prayer,  but  there  in 
heaven  they  shall  have  an  open  and  unclouded  vision,  and  thus  see- 
ing Him  as  He  is,  shall  be  made  completely  like  Him.  Likeness  to 
God  !  What  can  we  wish  for  more  ?  And  a  sight  of  God  !  What 
cain  we  desire  better?  The  patriarch  looks  forward  to  this  sight 
of  God  as  a  personal  enjoyment.  Whom  mine  eyes  shall  behold 
and  not  another.  Take  realizing  views  of  heaven's  bliss ;  think 
what  it  will  be  to  us ;  our  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  His  beauty. 
All  earthly  brightness  fades  and  darkens  as  we  gaze  upon  it. 
But  there  is  a  brightness  which  can  never  dim,  a  glory  which  can 
never  fade.    I  shall  see  God. 

To  dwell  with  Christ,  to  feel  His  love, 
Is  the  full  heaven  enjoyed  above, 
And  the  sweet  expectation  now 
Is  the  young  dawn  of  heaven  below. 

It  is  not  merely  what  comes  out  of  being  with  Him,  His  com- 
pany itself  is  heaven.  Even  to  have  seeri  Jesus  in  His  flesh  was 
a  privilege. 

I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old, 
When  Jesus  was  here  among  men. 

How  He  took  little  children  like  lambs  to  His  fold, 
I  should  like  to  have  been  with  Him  then. 

I  wish  that  His  hands  had  been  placed  on  my  head. 
That  His  arms  had  been  thrown  around  me, 

And  I  might  have  seen  His  kind  look  when  He  said, 
Let  the  little  ones  come  unto  Me. 


650  DIVINE      H  EALIN  a  . 

The  heavenly  city  is  described  as  having  an  abundance  of  all 
manner  of  delights.  The  very  streets  are  paved  with  gold,  ex- 
ceeding clear  and  fine.  The  gates  are  pearls  and  the  walls  are 
built  of  precious  stones.  No  palace  of  the  Caesars  could  rival 
the  glorious  riches  of  the  city  of  the  Great  King. 

That  city  with  the  jeweled  crest, 

Like  some  new  lighted  sun, 
A  blaze  of  burning  Amethyst, 

Ten  thousand  orbs  in  one. 

Oh,  blessed  place,  where  we  shall  not  need  to  enter  into  our 
closets  to  worship  our  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  but  shall  in  the 
open  street  behold  the  unveiled  vision  of  God.  Oh,  blessed  time, 
when  there  shall  not  be  Sabbaths,  but  one  endless  Sabbath.  Do 
we  trust  our  Savior  ?  Are  we  believing  Him  ?  His  cry  from  the 
cross  is,  ''Look  unto  Me,  and  be  saved."    Have  we  so  looked  ? 

My  soul  looked  back  to  see. 

The  burdens  Thou  didst  bear. 
When  hanging  on  the  cursed  tree, 

And  hopes  her  guilt  was  there. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  stands  in  front  of  the  throne  interceding  for 
us.    Opening  the  way  for  us  to  approach  to  God,  even  the  Father. 

This  is  the  Man,  the  exalted  Man, 
Whom  we,  unseen,  adore, 
But  when  our  eyes  behold  His  face. 
Our  hearts  shall  love  Him  more. 

The  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  is  in  heaven.  Behold  the 
throne  in  heaven.  We  must  pass  beyond  this  earthly  region,  and 
join  the  company  of  those  who  people  the  celestial  realm  before 
we  can  see  the  throne  of  God  so  as  to  obtain  a  complete  view  of 
it.     Is  not  this  among  the  chief  joys  in  Heaven? 

I'd  part  with  all  the  joys  of  sense, 

To  gaze  upon  Thy  throne, 
Pleasures  spring  fresh  forever  thence, 

Unspeakable,  unknown. 

The  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb  will  be  the  center  of  our 
delights.     To  have  reached  home  in  the  heavenly  Father's  house. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CUBE.  551 

to  have  seen  our  Elder  Brother,  and  to  be  sure  that  we  shall  abide 
with  Him  and  go  no  more  out.  Oh,  that  is  what  we  pant  for. 
We  long  to  hear  His  voice  welcoming  us  to  our  new  abode. 

Come  in,  thou  blessed,  sit  by  me, 
With  My  life  I  ransomed  thee. 

Come,  taste  My  perfect  favor, 
Come  in,  thou  happy  spirit,  come. 
Thou  now  shalt  dwell  with  me  at  home. 
Ye  blissful  mansions  make  him  room, 

For  he  must  stay  forever. 

Our  song  will  be  to  Him  who  loves  us,  and  yet  we  shall  want 
to  tell  out  to  others  our  love  to  Him.  We  cannot  wash  His  feet 
with  our  tears,  because  He  will  wipe  all  our  tears  away.  We 
cannot  honor  him  with  our  substance  there  as  we  can  here,  for 
there  will  be  no  widows  and  orphans,  whom  we  can  relieve,  no 
poor  and  needy  ones,  whom  we  can  feed  and  clothe  and  visit,  do- 
ing to  His  disciples  as  we  would  do  unto  Him,  but  oh,  to  fall  be- 
fore Him,  and  then  gaze  upon  Him.  He  looks  like  a  Lamb  that 
has  been  slain,  and  wears  His  priesthood  still.  Oh,  for  a  sight 
of  Him.  But,  oh,  if  we  could  only  see  Christ,  even  on  earth  for 
a  minute,  we  would  be  content  to  die  and  go  home  with  Him, 
nor  ask  leave  first  to  go  and  bid  them  farewell  which  are  at  our 
house.  '*Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled  ;  ye  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  Me.  In  My  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.  If  it 
were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  and  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again, 
and  receive  you  unto  Myself,  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be 
also,  and  whither  I  go,  ye  know,  and  the  way  ye  know." — John 
14:1-4.  '*If  ye  love  Me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because  I  said  I  go 
unto  the  Father."  Imagination  fails  to  picture  the  glory  of  our 
Lord's  return.  I  think  the  psalmist  gives  us  liberty  to  believe  that, 
when  our  Lord  ascended,  the  bright  ones  of  the  sky  came  to  meet 
Him,  and  cried,  "Lift  up  your  heads,  oh,  ye  gates,  and  be  ye 
lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  Glory  shall  come  in." 
May  we  not  believe  of  bright  seraphs  and  ministering  angels  that 

They  brought  His  chafiot  from  on  high, 

To  bear  Him  to  His  throne. 
Clapped  their  triumphant  wings  and  cried, 

"The  glorious  work  is  done." 


552  DIVINE      HEALING. 

He  was  seen  of  angels,  they  beheld  that  joyous  re-entry.  The 
opening  of  the  eternal  doors  to  the  King  of  Glory  and  the  triumph 
through  the  celestial  streets  of  Him  who  led  captivity  captive,  and 
scattered  gifts  among  men.  Oh,  joy,  unutterable,  unutterable  joy, 
can  we  not  now  once  for  all  dismiss  every  fear  in  the  prospect  of 
the  endless  bliss  reserved  for  us. 

See  that  glory,  how  resplendent, 

Brighter  far  than  fancy  points, 
There,  in  the  majesty  transcendent, 

Jesus  reigns,  the  King  of  Saints. 
Spread  thy  wings,  my  soul,  and  fly 

Straight  to  yonder  world  of  joy. 

Joyful  crowds  His  throne  surrounding, 

Sing  with  rapture  of  His  love. 
Through  the  heavens  His  praises  sounding, 

Filling  all  the  courts  above. 
Spread  thy  wings,  my  soul,  and  fly 

Straight  to  yonder  world  of  joy. 

I  want  to  hear  some  of  the  Bible  passages  read  in  heaven,  after 
we  have  gathered  up  our  dead  children,  I  want  to  hear  these 
passages  read,  and  want  to  point  them  out,  the  passages  that 
comforted  us  on  the  day  of  interment.  When  we  meet  our  friends 
in  heaven,  we  will  want  to  talk  over  the  trials  of  this  life,  and  say, 
those  were  the  promises  that  cheered  us.  I  want  to  hear  David  with 
his  own  voice  read  ''the  Lord  is  my  Shepherd."  I  want  in  heaven  to 
hear  Paul  read,  "Thanks  be  unto  God  who  giveth  the  victory  to 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  I  want  to  hear  the  archangels  play 
Paul's  grand  march  of  the  resurrection  with  the  same  trumpet, 
with  which  he  woke  the  dead.  Oh,  blessed  Book,  good  enougli 
for  earth,  good  enough  for  heaven.  When  I  have  no  griefs  to  be 
solaced,  when  I  have  no  sins  to  be  pardoned,  when  I  have  no  hope 
of  heaven  to  be  enkindled,  that  will  be  the  day  and  the  hour,  and 
that  the  minute  I  will  give  up  the  Bible.  Book  of  life,  book  of 
comfort,  book  of  God.  Book  bespattered  with  the  blood  of  the 
martyr,  who  died  in  its  defense.  Book  sprinkled  with  the  tears  of 
a  Christian  ministry,  who  were  comforted  by  its  promises.  Dear 
old  Book. 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  553 

How  precious  is  the  Book  divine, 

By  inspiration  given, 
Bright  as  a  Lamb,  its  doctrines  shine, 

To  guide  our  souls  to  heaven. 

It  sweetly  cheers  our  drooping  hearts. 

In  this  dark  veil  of  tears, 
And  life,  and  light  and  joy  imparts, 

And  banishes  our  fears. 

This  lamp  through  all  the  tedious  night 

Of  life  shall  guide  our  way. 
Till  we  behold  the  clearer  light 

Of  an  eternal  day. 


THE  LORD  CONTROLS  THE  UNIVERSE. 

On  earth  the  Lord's  power  as  readily  controls  the  rage  of  the 
wicked  as  the  rage  of  the  sea ;  His  love  as  easily  refreshes  the  poor 
with  mercy  as  the  earth  with  showers.  Majesty  gleams  in  flashes 
of  fire  amid  the  tempest's  horrors,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is 
seen  in  its  grandeur  in  the  fall  of  empires,  and  the  crash  of 
thrones.  In  all  our  conflicts  and  tribulations,  we  may  behold  the 
hand  of  the  divine  King. 

God  is  God :  He  sees  and  hears 
All  our  troubles,  all  our  tears. 
Soul,  forget  not,  'mid  thy  pains, 
God  o'er  all  forever  reigns. 

In  hell,  evil  spirits  own,  with  misery.  His  undoubted  suprem- 
acy. When  permitted  to  roam  abroad,  it  is  with  a  chain  at  their 
heel ;  the  bit  is  in  the  mouth  of  behemoth,  and  the  hook  in  the 
jaws  of  leviathan.  Death's  darts  are  under  the  Lord's  lock,  and 
the  grave's  prisons  haVe  divine  power  as  their  warder.  The  ter- 
rible vengeance  of  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  makes  fiends  cower 
down  and  tremble,  even  as  dogs  in  the  kennel  fear  the  hunter's 
whip. 

Fear  not  death,  nor  Satan's  thrusts, 
God  defends  who  in  Him  trusts; 
Soul,  remember,  in  thy  pains, 
God  o'er  all  forever  reigns. 


554  DIVINE      HEALING. 

In  heaven,  none  doubt  the  sovereignty  of  the  King  Eternal, 
but  all  fall  on  their  faces  to  do  Him  homage.  Angels  are  His 
courtiers,  the  redeemed  His  favorites,  and  all  delight  to  serve 
Him  day  and  night.  May  we  soon  reach  the  city  of  the  great 
King. 

For  this  life's  long  night  of  sadness 
He  will  give  us  peace  and  gladness. 
Soul,  remember,  in  thy  pains, 
God  o'er  all  forever  reigns. 


LET  GOD  BE  TRUE. 

''Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar."  Shall  not  He  be 
true?  Shall  He  not  keep  His  word?  Shall  not  every  word  that 
Cometh  out  of  His  lips  stand  fast  and  be  fulfilled?  Solomon,  at 
the  opening  of  the  temple,  used  this  same  mighty  plea.  He 
pleaded  with  God  to  remember  the  word  which  He  had  spoken 
to  his  father  David,  and  to  bless  that  place.  When  a  man  gives 
a  promissory  note,  his  honor  is  engaged  ;  he  signs  his  hand,  and 
he  must  discharge  it  when  the  due  time  comes,  or  else  he  loses 
credit.  It  shall  never  be  said  that  God  dishonors  His  bills.  The 
credit  of  the  Most  High  never  was  impeached,  and  never  shall 
be.  He  is  punctual  to  the  moment :  He  never  is  before  His  time, 
but  He  never  is  behind  it.  Search  God's  word  through,  and 
compare  it  with  the  experience  of  God's  people,  and  you  shall 
find  the  two  tally  from  the  first  to  the  last.  Many  a  hoary  patri- 
arch has  said  with  Joshua,  "Not  one  thing  hath  failed  of  all  the 
good  things  which  the  Lord  your  God  spake  concerning  you ;  all 
are  come  to  pass."  If  you  have  a  divine  promise,  you  need  not 
plead  it  with  an  "if,"  you  may  urge  it  with  certainty.  The  Lord 
meant  to  fulfill  the  promise,  or  He  would  not  have  given  it.  God 
does  not  give  His  words  merely  to  quiet  us,  and  to  keep  us  hope- 
ful for  a  while,  with  the  intention  of  putting  us  off  at  last ;  but 
when  He  speaks,  it  is  because  He  means  to  do  as  He  has  said. 


SAINT  JOHN'S   REVELATIONS. 


r 


MIND     AND     FAITH     CURE.  557 

AND  I  LOOKED,  AND,  LO,  A  LAMB  STOOD  ON  THE 
MOUNT  ZION. 

(rev.  14:1.) 

The  apostle  John  was  privileged  to  look  within  the  gates  of 
heaven,  and  in  describing  what  he  saw,  he  begins  by  saying,  'T 
looked,  and  lo,  a  Lamb!"  This  teaches  us  that  the  chief  object  of 
contemplation  in  the  heavenly  state  is  "the  Lamb  of  God,  which 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world."  Nothing  else  attracted  the 
apostle's  attention  so  much  as  the  person  of  that  Divine  Being, 
who  hath  redeemed  us  by  His  blood.  He  is  the  theme  of  the  songs 
of  all  glorified  spirits  and  holy  arrgels.  Christian,  here  is  joy  for 
thee;  thou  hast  looked,  and  thou  hast  seen  the  Lamb.  Through 
thy  tears  thine  eyes  have  seen  the  Lamb  of  God  taking  away  thy 
sins.  Rejoice,  then.  In  a  little  while,  when  thine  eyes  shall  have 
been  wiped  from  tears,  thou  wilt  see- the  same  Lamb  exalted  on 
His  throne.  It  is  the  joy  of  thy  heart  to  hold  daily  fellowship  with 
Jesus ;  thou  shalt  have  the  same  joy  to  a  higher  degree  in  heaven ; 
thou  shalt  enjoy  the  constant  vision  of  His  presence ;  thou  shalt 
dwell  with  Him  forever.  'T  looked,  and,  lo,  a  Lamb !"  Why, 
that  Lamb  is  heaven  itself.  "Heaven  and  Christ  are  the  same 
thing;"  to  be  with  Christ  is  to  be  in  heaven,  and  to  be  in  heaven  is 
to  be  with  Christ.  That  prisoner  of  the  Lord  very  sweetly  writes 
in  one  of  his  glowing  letters — "O  my  Lord  Christ,  if  I  could  be  in 
heaven  without  thee  it  would  be  a  hell;  and  if  I  could  be  in  hell, 
and  have  Thee  still,  it  would  be  a  heaven  to  me,  for  Thou  art  all 
the  heaven  I  want." 

Not  all  the  harps  above 

Can  make  a  heavenly  place, 
If  God  His  residence  remove. 

Or  but  conceal  His  face. 

The  condition  of  glorified  spirits  in  heaven  is  that  of  nearness 
to  Christ,  clear  vision  of  His  glory,  constant  access  to  His  court, 
and  familiar  fellowship  with  His  person :  nor  is  there  any  differ- 
ence in  this  respect  between  one  saint  and  another,  but  all  the 
people  of  God,  apostles,  martyrs,  ministers,  or  private  and  ob- 
scure Christians,  shall  all  be  seated  near  the  throne,  where  they 
shall  forever  gaze  upon  their  exalted  Lord,  and  be  satisfied  with 


558  DIVINE     HEALING. 

His  love.  They  shall  all  be  near  to  Christ,  all  ravished  with  His 
love,  all  eating  and  drinking  at  the  same  table  with  Him,  all 
equally  beloved  as  His  favorites  and  friends,  even  if  not  all  equally 
rewarded  as  servants. 

Let  believers  on  earth  imitate  the  saints  in  heaven  in  their  near- 
ness to  Christ.  Let  us  on  earth  be  as  the  elders  are  in  heaven, 
sitting  around  the  throne.  May  Christ  be  the  object  of  our 
thoughts,  the  center  of  our  lives.  How  can  we  endure  to  live  at 
such  a  distance  from  our  Beloved  ?  Lord  Jesus,  draw  us  nearer  to 
Thyself !  Say  unto  us,  "Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you  ;"  and  permit 
us  to  sing,  "His  left  hand  is  under  my  head,  and  His  right  hand 
doth  embrace  me." 

Oh,  lift  me  higher,  nearer  Thee, 

And  as  I  rise  more  pure  and  meet, 

Oh,  let  my  soul's  humility 

Make  me  lie  lower  at  Thy  feet ; 

Less  trusting  self,  the  more  I  prove 

The  blessed  comfort  of  Thy  love. 


AMEN. 


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